43
Report shows labor force decreased in 2013
By Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
The State of Working Ohio 2014 report done by Policy Matters Ohio showed labor-force participation continued to decrease in 2013.
The report, released at the end of August, also shows retirees are not the only ones leaving Ohio’s labor force, which includes both workers and those seeking work.
“This is a very powerful report,” said George Zellers, a Cleveland-based economist. “What [it] finds is that, yes, people are retiring, but the labor force is declining even for young workers.”
The figures in the report come from the Current Population Survey, U.S. Census Bureau. The report shows 80.6 percent of prime-age Ohioans between age 25 to 54 are in the labor force, which, the report says, is the lowest it has been since the 1980s.
The percentage of Ohioans in that age bracket employed is 75.1 percent — this is on track with previous years, but lower than the 1980s.
“We are recovering, but we are recovering way too slowly,” Zellers said. “The number of jobs we have lost is much larger than the number of jobs we have gained.”
In July, Ohio led the nation for job loss with 12,400 over-the-month decrease in employment.
Bert Cene, director of the Mahoning Columbiana Training Association, said the state always has had a percentage of what are called “discouraged workers.”
“It’s a hard population to judge,” he said.
A portion of that population could choose not to work while others may choose other routes for income, he said. But there are jobs out there.
“We have a lot of employers who are looking,” he said. “To meet the employers’ needs, [we] need to get more young people into these types of jobs.”
Those jobs may be trade jobs in the oil and gas industry such as truck driving.
“I think it is slow and steady,” he said. “I don’t think we have recouped what we have lost.”
The important step to take is to “expose young people to the opportunities out there,” Cene said.
Amy Hanauer, executive director of Policy Matters Ohio, would like to see more investment in people and in their education. She also believes investments should be made in clean energy.
To review the report, go to www.policymattersohio.org/sowo-2014.