Pioneer Report: Issue 3 Summer 2007

Emerging Job Market

  A just-completed survey shows Washington County employers project the creation of over 2,400 new jobs in the next five years. Commissioned by the Ohio Valley Employment Resources (OVER), the local organization responsible for managing federal Work Force Investment Act funds, this employer survey investigated what types of jobs would be created over the next five years, corresponding wages and benefits, and education and skill requirements.

  The OVER survey indicated area businesses plan significant hiring in the next five years: over 4,000 new jobs across 10 counties. Regionally, the top in-demand job titles were: registered nurses, assemblers and fabricators, nurse aides, customer service representatives, pipefitters, welders and truck drivers. For more information, a summary and relevant tables with wage information are available at www.pioneerspirit.us/work force/size. Due to technical limitations, the survey is not a random sample of all employers, which would allow us to project across the entire labor market. Instead, it merely indicates trends among respondents from limited email databases.

  The State of Ohio has done its own research that is much broader. Ohio’s list of the top in-demand, high-paying jobs projected statewide through 2014 also showed the number one in-demand, high-wage job will be registered nurses. Elementary, secondary and post-secondary teachers make up three of the top 10 jobs. Various computer software engineers, systems analysts, network administrators, support specialists and data analysts account for six of the top 20 in-demand jobs. Accountants, carpenters, plumbers/pipefitters and lawyers also made the top 20. To review the list and its corresponding education requirements with average annual earnings, go to http://lmi.state.oh.us/proj/projections/ohio/buckeye50.pdf.

  Here is what Washington County might learn from the OVER survey:

·        The question is not “will there be jobs?” -- workers will have plenty of jobs options. But many of the most in-demand jobs may offer comparatively low wages, depending upon the location and employer.

·        A better question is “will workers be trained for the right jobs?”  Workers with less training have few employment choices and they often become trapped in low-skill, low-wage employment.  Meanwhile, comparatively high-skill, high-wage jobs in the region are left unfilled.

·        Training and education are prerequisites for good jobs -- whether it’s through vocational training, apprenticeships, a two-year degree, or a four-year degree. Workers can make a good living in the region through any of the above channels with education, training and hard work.  Understanding career paths and how experience and education go hand-in-hand are important in today’s marketplace.

·        The Mid-Ohio Valley is about to lose some of its most highly skilled workers to retirement. Replacing retirees has the potential to be one of the best sources of high-paying jobs, particularly in manufacturing and health care. If employers are not looking ahead to train and recruit skilled employees, their businesses will suffer when the Baby Boomers start retiring.  

·        Education and training are not short-term efforts. In today’s work place, lifetime learning is expected. Workers should chart a pathway to continuously seek education and training while working so that they can obtain higher skills and correlating higher wages.

·        Employers who invest in workers will reap long-term rewards. Internships, mentoring programs, apprenticeships, on-the-job training, and tuition reimbursement can enhance the skill level of workers and strengthen employee loyalty.    

  So, the good news: jobs will definitely be created in the Mid-Ohio Valley. The important corollary: students, parents, educators, workers and employers must engage one another and focus on growing a better trained and educated work force if Washington County is to increase its competitiveness and raise its standard of living.

Business Park Update 

  The Southeastern Ohio Port Authority has formed a cooperative agreement with Triad Holdings, PLL, for the construction of a 27-acre business park along State Route 7 in the Reno area. The business park is located across State Route 7 from Dimex Corporation. The site is flat and out of the 100-year floodplain. The Ohio Department of Transportation will start widening the highway between I-77 and the project site next year. Additionally, the site abuts a 24-acre parcel with access to the Ohio River.   

 Private partners are extending utilities to the site. Funding from the Ohio Department of Development’s Industrial Site Improvement Fund and Roadwork Development Account will be used to install water, sewer, drainage, underground electric and an access road into the site.  Natural gas and broadband telecommunications will also be available at the site. Preliminary development plans call for platting five parcels of various sizes in the park.  Protective covenants will be in place to maintain the long-term integrity of the development. Construction should be completed by the Spring of 2008. For more information on the business park please call (740) 373-3233 or email mike@pioneerspirit.us .  

Why Use a Foreign Trade Zone?

  Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) were specifically created to increase trade and to make American companies more competitive. The port authority has been designated as the grantee for FTZ 264, which encompasses five non-contiguous sites in Washington County. Companies importing goods into the United States may be able to defer, reduce or eliminate importation duties by locating in an FTZ.  Additional savings may be possible through reduced paperwork and fees as well as by eliminating duties on waste and scrap materials. Calculating whether or not your company can save money via a FTZ is now much easier. The port authority has a link to a FTZ savings calculator on the U.S. Foreign Trade Zone Board site. Go to www.pioneerspirit.us/foreign_trade_zone  for a list of FTZ locations in the county and a link to the calculator.

A Welcome for Hino Trucks

  The Southeastern Ohio Port Authority quickly organized a full-page advertisement to run in the Parkersburg News the day after the Hino Trucks announcement. Hino,  a Toyota Group company that manufactures delivery trucks, announced in late June its purchase of the former Walker building in Williamstown, West Virginia. Over 30 Washington County businesses and organizations joined the port authority in welcoming Hino to the Mid-Ohio Valley and congratulating Wood County. We all know Hino will find success here in the Mid-Ohio Valley, and we hope Hino’s presence will have many positive ripples throughout the region.