The site, TopJobs.Ohio.gov, was launched in 2019 to provide an interactive tool for students, educators and workers to identify job opportunities, and determine the education and training they need for those jobs. It replaced a static list of in-demand jobs.
Much of the federal funding for workforce development, such as the program offered by Montgomery County to train truck drivers, targets in-demand and critical jobs.
The Top Jobs list includes jobs defined as “in-demand” or “critical.”
“An ‘in-demand job’ in Ohio is defined as one that pays at least 80 percent of the state median wage ($14.90 or more per hour) and has an annual growth in the number of jobs higher than the statewide average of 20 or annual job openings greater than 620,” according to the news release.
The in-demand jobs list is updated every two years, using state labor statistics and projections, electronic job posting trend data and business responses to a survey.
The critical jobs list is designed to focus workforce efforts on jobs that support the health and well-being of Ohioans and Ohio communities. Experts and stakeholders in health care, education, construction and other industries are consulted to help identify those critical jobs.
The state also publishes a list of top occupations with the most job ads posted online. In the west region, registered nurses top that list, according to the list of 34,376 job ads posted between Sept. 14 and Oct. 13, the most recent list available. Some of those jobs do not meet the criteria for “top jobs,” often because of low pay.
The west region includes Auglaize, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Darke, Fayette, Greene, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Shelby counties.
The five occupations with the most openings in the west region are:
- Registered nurses - 1,973
- Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers - 1,732
- First-line supervisors of retail sales workers - 1,362
- Retail salespersons - 1,058
- Stock clerks and order filers - 941
“We encourage individuals to go to OhioMeansJobs.com or their local OhioMeansJobs center where they can explore career options, get training and resume-building help, and apply for jobs,” said Matt Damschroder, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
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