The latest government report on the nation’s economy showed continued growth, and Rhonda Fannin, director of workforce services for OhioMeansJobs/Highland County, told The Times-Gazette there was no shortage of job opportunities in the region, and that one government agency in particular was on a hiring mission.
“The 2020 Census will be holding a hiring event at our location on Friday, Jan. 17 from 10 a.m. until noon,” she said. “Applicants must be at least 18 years old, and both part-time and full-time employment opportunities are available.”
The OhioMeansJobs/Highland County office is in the Hi-Tech Center at 1575 N. High St., Suite 31A, Hillsboro.
Fannin said that if interested applicants could not make it to the Friday morning hiring event, they are encouraged to apply online at 2020census.gov/jobs.
Philadelphia Regional Census Center Partnership Specialist Samuel Knight told The Times-Gazette Thursday that they’ve received about 120 Highland County applicants for the 2020 census effort, but that about 300 people will be needed to help with the census count in Highland County.
The most recent jobs report from the labor department showed a national unemployment rate of 3.5 percent, a rate last seen in 1969, with the economy creating 145,000 new jobs in December.
According to data from Fannin’s office, the unemployment rate in Highland County was at 4.9 percent.
“The OhioMeansJobs website shows that there are over 153,000 employment opportunities in Ohio,” she said. “In Highland County, the website shows 1,131 employment opportunities available within 20 miles of the 45133 zip code, as well as 224 jobs available within a five-mile radius of that same zip code.”
The jobs report indicated notable job gains last month in the areas of retail trade and health care, with retail adding 41,000 jobs and jobs in the health care sector increasing by 28,000.
For the southeast region of Ohio, there were more than 9,000 jobs posted for the month of November, which is the most recent month available online, she said.
Nineteen percent of available job opportunities were in sales and related occupations, according to the labor department report, and jobs in the area of health care practitioners and technical occupations came in second with 18 percent of the postings.
Job opportunities in construction, professional and business services, transportation, warehousing and manufacturing showed little growth, the report said.
The number of the long-term unemployed, those without a job for 27 weeks or more, was unchanged from December at 1.2 million, and accounted for more than 20 percent of the total jobless figure.
Fannin said that OhioMeansJobs/Highland County offers many career and workplace ready workshops, and that they are all free to the public.
The workshop schedule is on the agency’s monthly calendar at omjhighlandcounty.com/news/workshop-calendar/.
Fannin also encouraged job seekers to visit the Facebook pages at Highland County Community Action Organization, Inc. and OhioMeansJobs Highland County, and that they could call 937-393-1933 for information.
The next report on the nation’s economy is scheduled for release on Friday, Feb. 7 at 8:30 a.m.
Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571
