for workers - Armstrong MyWireusers.zoominternet.net/~dknox/paladinreports/outlook.pdf ·...

CCYYMK

www.ohio.comO u r e c o n o m y , o u r j o b s , o u r f u t u r e

GSECTION

Big projects,foreign moneybode well. ButR&D, venturecapital still lagin Akron area.

ork. It means some-

thing different today

in Northeast Ohio

than it did just five

short years ago. In

the first three years

of the 21st century,

28,400 manufacturing

jobs were lost in the

Akron-Canton area,

a rapid acceleration

of a trend that has

shifted the economy

into a lower gear.

Over the long term, however, the area economy

is creating jobs in many industries — including

health care, restaurants, support services, technical

services, retail and education. The problem is most

of those jobs pay less than manufacturing. Even

health care, the highest-paying of the growing

sectors, has an average annual salary of $31,987,

as opposed to $43,750 in manufacturing.

Change is everywhere. Greater productivity.

New ideas. Better training. Individuals,

business and civic leaders all are seeking

new ways to compete.

MarketJob

Differentfields

today

Smarter, faster,better. Local firmsseek innovations,work forcedevelopment. I

What's ahead forthe Akron area?Some trends arewith us, someare againstus.

Wdominate

MONEY INGENUITY OPPORTUNITY

H J

A special section of the Akron Beacon Journal

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CCYYMK

S weeping economic forces reshape jobs, livesE ven through the static of our

telephone message system I could hear theg u y’s voice trembling. H e started a dozensentences . He finished maybe two.

‘‘Th e – H e – H e wouldn ’ t , you know –Th e guy , the guy, will not bend in our favorwhatsoever – I mean – Something – uh – Ifyou could find someone who would give ussome favor –’’ The man exhaled inexasperation . ‘ ‘ P lease give me a call.’’

W hen I called him back, he said he hadlost his job when the company he worked formoved out of town.

He was having a hard time talkingabout it. A riptide of emotions kept sweepinghim from the brink of rage to the edge oftears . I gathered he felt our reporter shouldhave written something scathing about hisformer employer. H e choked up when hesuggested that bit of revenge, and just whenit seemed as if he might not recover, hestarted swearing and shouting.

T urns out he wasn’tjust mad at us. H e wasmad at his company. Hewas mad at his union. Hewas mad at George W.Bu s h. He was just mad.

In the end heapologized for swearingso much – specifically forthe references to ourreporter . ‘‘Ye a h, well , you gotta understand – I

guess I shouldn’t have called him that – butyou gotta realize, I just lost my job.’’

Y elling wasn ’ t going to solve hisproblem , of course. But he didn’t know whatelse to do.

L ike thousands of others in our areawho have lost well - paying jobs in the lastthree years, he faced the grim prospect ofhaving to tell his wife and kids that life wasabout to change. I t wa s n’t really his fault.An d it probably wasn’t fair , when it comes

right down to it.Th e fact is the economy isn’t fair . S ome

sectors are growing and others are shrinking.P eople are caught in a frenzy of competitionthat ’ s getting ever more complicated as ourfortunes are tied to those of other countries.

T hat leaves us with a couple of choicesas individuals: compete or complain.

In Outlook , w e’v e chosen to examinethe Akron area’s efforts to compete. Wefocused on the growing areas of theeconomy and the jobs they are creating. Weasked individuals and companies what theywere doing to improve our overallcompetitiveness , and tried to gauge theregion ’ s readiness to take advantage of themajor trends changing society.

It was a tough job. N o single story tellsit all. S o we used many articles to create amosaic picture of the whole. The 18t h-century economist Adam Smith had it rightwhen he characterized the guiding force inthe economy as an invisible hand. Our

understanding of the larger forces is oftenobscured by the struggles of the moment.

T rite as it may sound, that’s what struckme when reading O utlook . H undreds ofthousands of our neighbors are makingmillions of decisions about how to reinventthemselves , to improve their companies, todevelop new products, to raise capital, toeducate our children and to better thecommunity .

W ill we succeed? Proof will come withtime . M eanwhile , we might want to askourselves who has a better shot at findingour laid - off worker a job: those who view usas victims, or those who are too busyworking to complain?

STEVEBERTA

G2 • Akron Beacon Journal d S unday , A pril 3, 2005 www.Oh i o.c o m

Ou r economy , ou r j obs , ou r f u t u r e

M oney S ection H

I ngenuity S ection I

W hat does a ‘ ‘ scenario a n-alyst ’ ’ see ? Se e what futurists andeconomists say about trends, such as an agingpopulation , that challenge our region.J2

H ave you been to ourNASCAR track?No t likely : It nevermaterialized . Bu t other offbeat visions for Akronhave indeed become reality.J3

E ver considered beingyour own boss? E ntrepreneurs tellhow they made the decision to lead their ownventures , and give tips for survival.J7

W here would youngpeople live? H ighland S quare , saysconsultant Rebecca R yan , who was hired tohelp Akron attract young professionals.J2

D etailed informationHo w cool is A kron ? J6

Ho w many jobs will schooloverhaul generate? At least200 skilled trade jobs per building, not tomention highway projects slated here.H2

W hat industry calls 15years fast? R esearch anddevelopment efforts need boost to keep regioncompetitive with rest of state, nation.H2

Wh o’s been getting SBAloans lately? A look at serviceventures that typically prop up the economy,but don’t experience massive growth.H6

Ho w did Akron beatA tlanta for jobs? F oreign investorsrank Akron 14th in nation for Europeanexpansion for factories, skilled workers.H5

Ho w do we enticecompanies to stay? W ith thesame incentives that draw new firms, with dealsthat go beyond tax abatements.H6

Wh y c a n’t O hio startupsget cash? A gencies work to turnsituation around, connect entrepreneurs withventure capitalists and experienced leaders.H7

D etailed informationC onstruction in the Akron Public S chools . H3O ther public spending projects around the area.H3Ho w much money Northeast Ohio companiesare investing in the future. H4Ne w products being developed locally. H4F oreign investment in O hio . H5SBA - guaranteed loans have been increasing inN ortheast Oh i o. H6To p tax abatements approved by localgovernments . H6SBA sets lending records two years in a row. H6V enture capital funding falls in O hio . H7Ho w can localentrepreneurswho want todevelop productsincrease theirchances ofwinning money?H7

J obs S ection G

O pportunity S ection J

S teve B erta can be reached at 330 - 996 - 3569 or at sberta@ thebeacon journal . com .

Ho w can we compete andprosper ? As job opportunities shift withthe times, some fields are growing as othersshrink . A look at where Ohio is headed.G3

W hat fields are best betsfor future? A Beacon Journal analysislists growing industries, including many thatdefy national trends.G6

E ver wanted to work in ahospital ? N urses , rehab specialists indemand , at good salaries. Lower - wage jobs ashome health aides also plentiful.G8

Ho w much does abartender make? H ard to tell,since tips aren’t always fully reported, but foodservice jobs pay well if you’r e at the rightlocation . G8

W hat type of jobs cannever be outsourced?C leaning and janitorial services, a growingindustry that offers decent pay, flexible hours.G9

Wh a t’s the latesttechnology trend? C ompanies pick up spending after dot - com bust , affectingmost industries, including office support jobs.G9

Wh o are the top twoemployers in O hio ? Wa l-Ma r tand Kroger Co. lead the pack, examples of thevital role retailers play in our economy.G1 1

W hen will teaching jobsopen up? W ith many delayedretirements , options in the schools may not begood until 2012, experts predict.G1 1

D etailed informationE conomic facts about the five - county A kron - C anton area . G4J obless recovery . G4E mployment by industry sectors. G4E mployment by industry in the five countyA kron - C anton area . G5A rea employment trends and medianhousehold income. G5A kron - area health & social assistanceemployment . G8A kron - area hotel & food service employment.G8A kron - area administrative & support servicesemployment . G9A kron - area professional & technical servicesemployment . G9A kron - area retail & wholesale tradeemployment . G1 1A kron - area educational , training & libraryemployment . G1 1

INSIDE OUTLOOKF our subsections deal with particular aspects of economic activity: Jo b s, I nvestment , I ngenuity and O pportunity . H ere are the stories and illustrations in each.

OUTLOOK

Ar e O hio and its universi-ties working together? Th erole of higher education in Ohio is changing asthe needs of the work force evolve.I2

Ca n communities groomnew public servants? G roups such as Leadership Akron and LeadershipM edina C ounty encourage community service.I6

W ill retrained workers findsuccess ? M any people who lose a jobtoday will need some kind of retraining to re-enter the work force.I4

Ar e O hio companiesinvesting in technology?S taying up to date isn’t easy , but successfulcompanies say it’s key to being competitive.I4

Ho w are companiesworking better, faster,cheaper ? M anagers say people makethe difference.I8

D oes outsourcing help orhurt ? E conomists , consultants , unionleaders and workers can’t agree , but they allknow it’s happening . I6

Ho w do the little guysthrive ? Fo r A kron - C anton A irport andothers working in the shadow of biggerbusinesses , marketing is a big help.I2

D etailed informationW here the cheap flights are. I2Ho w people are being retrained. I4A nnual job openings, 2000 to 2010. I5A kron - C anton A irport gains ground whileC leveland H opkins loses . I4A kron - C anton A irport is winning market share.I4A verage annual population growth in O hio . I5In educational attainment, Ohio is near thebottom among the largest states. I5T raining leaders in the five - county area . I6Ho w L eadership A kron works . I6Ho w outsourcing and offshoring work. I6W orking smarter : programs that are being usedto improve local businesses. I8

G reg McEw e n,who is interestedin becoming adrywall installer,reads a handout ata career fair. Seehow the city ofA kron , schoolsand trade groupshave joined forcesto bolster thenumber of localsworking in trades.

H2

R oger F leming has a product, a patent,a business plan, a management team andexperience . W hat more could he want? Themoney to make it all a reality.

H7

Se e whyV icki S mith considersherself oneof the luckyones .

G1 1

W hat canA kron do tostop its‘ ‘ brain drain ’ ’ ? R ead whatfuturistR ebecca R yan says .

J2

A bout this sectionO utlook , which takes a broad look at the

A kron - area economy , drew resources fromthroughout the Akron Beacon Journalnewsroom . F ifteen reporters , eightphotographers and three illustratorscontributed bylined material over the courseof more than four months.

O thers who contributed behind thescenes include:E diting :

• Steve B erta , business editor.• David K nox , computer - assisted

reporting manager.• David H ertz , enterprise editor.• Jim Kavanagh , copy desk chief.• Tricia C olianne , copy editor.• Jod y Kraner , copy editor.• Dav e Wilson , deputy copy desk chief

L ayout and design:• Tim Go o d, assistant news editor.• Dennis B alogh , manager of design and

illustration . • Susan K irkman , assistant managing

editor . • Jemal B rinson , graphic artist.• Dennis E arlenbaugh , graphic artist.• Deborah K auffman , graphic artist.• Ric k Steinhauser , illustrator . • Kathy H agedorn , illustrator .

P hotography : • Kimberly B arth , director of photography.• Bob DeMay, photo editor.• Robin Tinay S allie , photo editor.

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CCYYMK

It’s new erafor workers

i n N.E. OhioEconomy must find new avenues for growth

as higher-paying manufacturing jobs disappear

T im T rojan ’ s career at a plasticinjection molding company derailedyears ago when an industrial accidentcrushed his left hand.S urgeries and rehabilitation saved

his hand. But all that effort and paincouldn ’ t save T rojan ’ s job inmanufacturing .‘‘I realized I could no longer do what

I was doing,’’ th e Cuyahoga Fallsresident said. His surgeon suggestedhe look into getting a job in themedical field.

‘‘I said he was crazy,’’T rojan said . ‘‘I said Icould never get intot h a t.’’

I nstead , T rojan triedother work, including being a home handyman, butthose jobs didn’ t pay enough.

S o he thought again about health care. ‘‘The more Ilooked into it, the more interested I got.’’

N ow T rojan , who is 40, is studying to become anurse . T he 1994 accident that nearly took his handpushed him out of Northeast Oh i o’s strugglingmanufacturing sector and into the region’ s fastestgrowing industry, health care.

T rojan works part time for Summa Health Systemand expects to go full time once he completes hisassociate degree from Cuyahoga Community Collegeand passes the test to become a registered nurse. Hehopes to work in orthopedics.

F rom factory worker to nurse?As Hal l o f Fame baseball catcher Yogi Berra once

pointed out, the future ain’ t what it used to be.Oh i o’s future ain’ t what it used to be, either.T rojan ’ s story is being repeated in thousands of

variations across Northeast O hio . M otivated b y ajobless economic recovery, foreign competition andproductivity gains that have wiped out thousands ofmanufacturing jobs, workers at virtually every levelof the region’ s economic food chain are looking foranswers to the same question.

H ow can I compete and prosper?S ome , like T rojan , are setting out to remake

themselves . O thers are seeking ways to cut costs and

improve the productivity of their enterprises.E ducators are improving the curriculum of ouruniversities . R esearchers are designing new products.A nd civic leaders are trying to promote the regionand map out a new course for economic developmen t.

H ow much change will be needed to maintain ourcompetitive edge remains an open question.

O ne thing is clear.T im T rojan is far from alone.

M anufacturing declines , other areas gainTh e past several years have been described as a jobless

recovery , but numbers point to our corner of the UnitedS tates as growing more slowly than the nation as a whole.

F rom 2000 through the middle of last year, the fivecounties of S ummit , S tark , M edina , P ortage and Waynelost more than about 12 , 700 – or 2 percent – of theiroverall jobs, going from 596 , 400 to 583 , 600 employeesacross all industries, according to government figures.

Ye t, the long - term trend is less alarming. Despite thedrop in recent years, there are more people working nowin the greater A kron - C anton area than there were in 1990.A ctually , there were nearly 15 percent more jobs in themiddle of 2004 than in 1990, a stretch of years thatincluded two recessions, the stock market bubble and

P lease see L osses G4

www.Oh i o.c o m A kron B eacon J ournal d S unday , A pril 3, 2005 • G3


TAKE THIS ONE

SUPPORT

HOT JOBS: Se e how these people have carved out a niche in the ar e a’s workforce . PROFESSIONAL

Th e popularity of teach-ing has made it quitecompetitive in O hio , where candidatesoutnumber jobs.

G1 1

T echnology fuels growthof computer - related jobsand changes the natureof administrativeassistants ’ tasks .

G9

RETAIL EDUCATIONHEALTH FOOD

S tory b y Ji m Mackinnonand David KnoxB eacon J ournal staff writers

L ooking for a secure jobthat ’ s stable even whenthe local economy isailing ? Je n M ize was . Sh e found one.

G8

F rom fast - food workersto bartenders to chefs,this growing sector hascareers for nearlyeveryone .

G8

K evin P aul used to weara suit to work; now hemops floors. He’s in oneindustry that cannotsend his job overseas.

G9

R etailers play a crucialrole in Oh i o’s economy , and the sector may beNo. 1 in employment by2012 , experts say.

G1 1

‘‘I saidhe wascrazy . I saidI couldneverget intot h a t.’’Ti m T rojan of the surgeon who suggestedhe pursue a medical career

OUTLOOK

KAREN SCHIELY / A kron B eacon J ournal

Ti m T rojan , who is pursuing a second career in nursing after working at a plastic injection molding compan y, makes a bed during his shift at St. Thomas Hospital in A kron .

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CCYYMK

Losses cut into N.E. Ohio’s identityContinued from Page G3

burst , the 9/1 1 terrorist attacks, and two wars in Iraq and one inA fghanistan . A lso over that period, China and India have becomelow - cost , global economic powerhouses.

A s a result , back in the states, the jobs and industries, they area - changin ’ .

Th e changes have beenpronounced here becausea greater percentage ofN ortheast Oh i o’s employ - ment is dedicated to man-ufacturing in older, slow-growth industries.

So the first years of the21 st century have been cru-e l t o Ohio – one in fivemanufacturing jobs disap-peared in the greater Ak-ron - C anton area , largelybetween 2000 and 2003.

In Summit , S tark , Po r-tage , W ayne and Medinacounties , 131 , 400 peopleheld manufacturing jobs in2000 . By the middle of2004 , that dwindled to103 , 000 , a drop of 28,4 0 0,or 22 percent.

In contrast , from 1990to 2000, the five - county area lost only about 1 per-cent of its manufacturingjobs .

T hose losses cut intothe identity of NortheastO hio as a region thatmakes stuff. Those werewell - paying jobs , too , withworkers taking home anaverage of $4 3,7 5 0 in 2004.

Bu t with the loss ofmanufacturing jobs havecome significant job gainselsewhere :

• Health - care jobs inthe five A kron - C anton counties grew from 50 , 400 in 1990 to72 , 300 in 2004.

• Jobs in hotel and food - service areas grew from 29 , 300 to47 , 500 over the same period.

• Education jobs grew from 31 , 500 in 1990 to 45 , 800 in 2004.

M ore jobs , but poorer payO ther sectors showed job growth, too – just not jobs that pay

on average as well as manufacturers’ do. Many of the fastestgrowing jobs also don’t require much education or specializedtraining .

Of the 10 industries in Ohio with the most projected annualopenings , only one – health care – paid an average wage highenough to put a full - time worker above low - income status , according to Community Research P artners , a nonprofit researchgroup in C olumbus . In 2002 , a family of four required at least oneworker making $1 8,3 9 2, o r $8.8 4 an hour full - time , to rise abovepoverty level to low - income status . Bu t to avoid serioushardships , a family of four needs twice that amount of money.

On e out of every four working families in Ohio is low income,the research group reported.

B ased o n a n Akron Beacon Journal analysis of jobs trends,N ortheast Oh i o’s fastest growing jobs over the next seven yearsprobably will be in health care, retail sales, construction trades,motor vehicle operators, computer specialists, teachers,information and record clerks and material movers .

Oh i o’s labor experts also see job growth slowing down fromwhat they had projected just two years ago.

E very two years, the state’s Bureau of Labor MarketI nformation makes 10 - year job projections. The latest projection,running from 2002 - 2012 , expects Ohio employment will growslower than the national average. Over that period, the stateprojects the creation of 560 , 000 new jobs – almost all in serviceindustries .

M anufacturing jobs statewide are expected to decline to842 , 700 by 2012, down 4.7 percent , or 41 , 400 jobs , from 884 , 100 jobs in 2002.

W ant to get an idea of where Oh i o’s economy is headed?By 2012 , the state thinks that manufacturing, currently the

largest employment sector, will fall to second place, behind

wholesale and retail trade.Th e signs are there now.Th e state ’ s largest private employer is Wa l-Ma r t, with 37 , 000

employees . On e out of every 20 retail employees in Ohio worksfor the A rkansas - based discounter .

S upermarket company Kroger is second, with 29 , 000 people . Th e C leveland C linic ’ s 23 , 700 employees come in third.It’s expected that the ongoing shift from manufacturing to a

service economy will continue, although economists’ crystal ballsget increasingly cloudy the farther out they look .

‘‘Th e r e are very clear limitations on what people can predict , ’ ’ said Mark S chweitzer , assistant vice president and economist atthe Federal Reserve Bank of C leveland .

‘ ‘ E verybody needs some idea of where things are going.Th e r e’s a need. And necessarily, it’s difficult . Yo u wonder if thepatterns are going to change.’’

R ecent years have been particularly bad for manufacturing , heacknowledged . ‘‘If you extrapolate that, Ohio looks grim for theforeseeable future.’’

Ye t the 22 percent drop in manufacturing employment since2000 in the A kron - C anton area closely mirrors what happened inthe rest of the United S tates , S chweitzer said . A lot of Oh i o’semployment looks much like the rest of the natio n, he said.

M anufacturers leaving for cheaper laborS hort term is another story, particularly here.‘‘Th e r e’s no doubt we’r e losing the manufacturing jobs,’’ said

S tephen H aynes , managing director for C leveland - based venturecapital firm Glengary LLC. ‘‘Many of the larger companies aremoving out of the area or are being acquired.’’

M anufacturers are being forced to reduce the costs ofproduction , and that often means looking outside Northeast Ohio– even the United S tates – for lower labor costs, Haynes said.

‘‘Th e only way you can get agood product at a good cost is togo offshore,’’ said H aynes , whogrew up in A kron .

G lengary funds and providesmanagement services to early-stage businesses in NortheastO hio in a wide variety ofindustries , including health careand manufacturing.

A kron already recovered fromthe loss of tire and rubbercompanies , H aynes said . ‘‘Th esame thing is happening inmanufacturing in general. I t ishappening at a quicker pace,’’ hesaid .

Th e region ’ s leaders need topay attention to the kinds of jobsbeing created and how well theypay , H aynes said .

L ow - paying jobs over the longterm cannot properly supportschool systems, for instance, orthe underlying assets such asproperty , he said.

‘‘Th e r e’s a way out of this,’’ hesaid .

E ven as the nature of localmanufacturing changes, Haynessaid he still thinks there will be amanufacturing base here. Service , technology , health care andscience are areas that the region,and the state, need to focus ondeveloping , he said.

Th e r e’s more importance nowon intellectual property andhuman capital than on physicalassets , he said. ‘‘The world haschanged . . . . What we need todo is come up with better ideas.’’

N eed for strategyH aynes i s n’t alone in thinking

that . J ames J. Coats , managing

director of Akron accounting andconsulting firm B rockman , C oats & Gedelian , said Northeast Ohioneeds an economic developmentstrategy that embraces reality.

H istorically , manufacturershere cannot compete because ofthe relatively high wages theypay , he said. That means thosecompanies must develop otherstrategies to remain viable.

E ven s o, the area has anexcellent backbone of companieswith annual revenue between $10million and $100 million, he said.

Bu t many of those businesses end up being bought by outsidefirms when the owner retires or dies, he said.

I nstead of focusing development efforts on attracting newcompanies to the region, Coats said it may make more sense tofocus on helping local companies grow so they may acquire othercompanies , rather than become acquired themselves. Helpingdevelop employee stock - ownership plans or creating specialtyfunds to provide financing gaps are some of the thingspolicymakers and business people need to talk about to retainbusinesses , he said.

Th e G reater A kron C hamber , among other business groups, ismaking its top priority to help local businesses stay and grow,while still trying to market the region to bring in companies fromelsewhere .

‘‘To o much emphasis is . . . on business attraction,’’ Coats said.‘‘I see the overall economy as relatively stagnant,’’ he said. ‘‘I

think it’ s a sign of the times of transition from manufacturing towhatever it is we’r e going to.’’

If that results in a local economy made up of people largelyemployed in low - paying restaurant and food jobs, we’r e in fortough times, Coats said. Instead , efforts should be focused ongrowing more highly paid professional jobs, he said.

P essimistic about economyS till , the shift away from physical assets may create a regional

identity crisis.A recent survey of Northeast Ohio residents found them

pessimistic about the region’s economy . Th e survey of 2 , 205 adults , called the NEO Barometer and

conducted in January and February by the Gallup Organizationon behalf of Fund for Ou r Economic F uture , a coalition ofN ortheast O hio nonprofit foundations, found residents morepessimistic about the economy than they were a year ago. About58 percent said the area does not do well keeping jobs fromleaving , while nearly half said the region isn’t good at creatingjobs .

Th e survey showed residents in S ummit , P ortage and Starkcounties were more optimistic about the economy than the largerregion . Y oungstown and Cleveland residents were the mostpessimistic .

O verall , though , the survey showed Northeast Ohioans thinkthe region’s economy will be worse five years from now. Butpeople with more knowledge of economic development overallwere more positive about Northeast O hio .

‘‘We think of ourselves as being manufacturing,’’ said PeterRe a, chairman of the business administration division at privateB aldwin - W allace C ollege i n Berea , south of C leveland .

Bu t people have to go as far back as the mid - 1950 s to find aperiod where at least half of people employed in Northeast Ohioworked in manufacturing, he said. Now, less than 18 percent ofN ortheast O hio workers are in manufacturing, compared to anational average of 12 percent, he said.

‘ ‘ E ighteen percent is a pretty small number,’’ Rea said. ‘‘We’reable to be more productive with fewer people.’’

P lease see S mall businesses are the new job - creators , G5

Akron Beacon Journal

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

105

4.84.95.05.15.25.35.4

115

115

120

125130

135

Ohio jobs in millions

’89 ’91 ’93 ’95 ’97 ’99 ’01’03 ’05

’89 ’91 ’93 ’95 ’97 ’99 ’01 ’03’05

U.S.

Ohio

Employment grew steadily across the nation for a decade after the 1990 recession. But after the 2001 recession,job growth failed to recoverin Ohio and locally.

U.S. jobs in millions

139,252,000

5,517,267

Recession periods

Recession periods

JOB GROWTHJOB GROWTH


Summit

Stark

Medina

Portage

Wayne

EconomicdevelopmentRegion 9**

Ohio

U.S.

277,200

191,600

86,300

83,800

58,100

697,100

5,804,600

142,583,000

$44,699

$43,747

$60,004

$46,470

$44,153

$43,934

$43,868

$41,856

$40,383

$56,736

$43,765

$41,510

$42,246

$42,409

$116,576

$107,173

$154,295

$131,429

$115,508

$110,806

$127,796

$122,937

$111,812

NA

NA

NA

$118,956

$147,275

284,100

190,200

89,900

86,800

60,000

710,900

5,884,800

147,401,000

4.2%

4.1%

3.2%

3.9%

3.4%

4.0%

4.0%

4.0%

6.1%

6.6%

4.9%

5.8%

5.3%

6.0%

6.1%

5.5%

25.1%

17.9%

24.8%

21.0%

17.2%

21.1%

24.4%

27.9%

19.9%

NA

NA

NA

23.0%

26.5%

9.9%

9.2%

4.6%

9.3%

8.0%

10.6%

12.4%

13.7%

9.4%

NA

NA

NA

12.1%

12.7%

20042000

Work force

20042000

Unemploymentrate

20022000*

Median householdincome

2000

Percent 25 yearsor older with a

bachelor’sdegree or more

2003 20032000

Percent individualsin poverty

20032000*

Medianhome value

*2000 incomes inflation adjusted to 2002 dollars; home values adjusted to 2003 dollars**Region 9 is comprised of Summit, Portage, Medina, Wayne and Stark counties.SOURCE: Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services and U.S. Census Bureau Akron Beacon Journal

284,100workers

6.1%unemployed

89,900workers

4.9%unemployed

190,200workers

6.6%unemployed

86,800workers

5.8%unemployed

60,000workers

5.3%unemployed

WAYNE

MEDINA

SUMMIT

PORTAGE

STARK

ECONOMIC

FACTS

ABOUT THE

FIVE-COUNTY

AKRON-

CANTON AREA

ECONOMIC

FACTS

ABOUT THE

FIVE-COUNTY

AKRON-

CANTON AREA


OUTLOOK

Akron Beacon JournalSOURCE: U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Total employment in the five-county Akron-Canton area has expanded since 1990 in most sectors but declined in manufacturing

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY SECTORSEMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY SECTORS

1990 2003

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Constructionand mining

Manufacturing

Wholesale

Retail

Transportationand utilities

Information

Financial activities

Professional andbusiness services

Educational and health services

Leisure andhospitality

Other services

Government

ROBIN TINAY SALLIE / A kron B eacon J ournal

C anton resident Charles B anks , 4 6, who currently works in manufacturing, is studying at StarkS tate C ollege to become a nurse. Banks sees a career with more longevity in health care .



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SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Household income increased in the late 1990s across Ohio and the nation, but dropped dramatically after 2000.

As high-paying manufacturing jobs are replaced by service jobs, household income has declined.

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOMEMEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME

Percentage changefrom 1997 to 2000

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004

Percentage changefrom 2000-2002

-8%-6%-4%-2%0%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2%4%6%

U.S. Ohio Medina Portage Stark Summit Wayne

8%10%

AREA EMPLOYMENT TRENDSAREA EMPLOYMENT TRENDS

Goods producing Service providing

SOURCE: Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 1,164 772 50.8% $21,704 $24,001 -9.6%Mining, including oil and gas extraction 1,219 1,498 -18.6% $61,575 $38,842 58.5%

Specialty trade contractors,including roofers and masons 18,116 13,684 32.4% $33,569 $35,021 -4.1%Residential building 3,635 2,296 58.3% $32,401 $33,657 -3.7%Nonresidential building 2,409 2,038 8.2% $40,942 $40,242 1.7%Heavy and civil engineering,such as road building 2,544 2,831 -10.1% $41,927 $47,032 -10.9%

Public school teachers, instructors, trainers and support staff 37,130 27,196 36.5% $35,153 $34,259 2.6%GOVERNMENT (EXCEPT EDUCATION)All other local, state and federal employers 31,112 24,098 29.1% $36,554 $32,875 11.2%

Rental and leasing, including car, truck and consumer goods, such as video tapes and discs 2,014 1,342 50.1% $26,018 $26,407 -1.5%Appraisers and other activities related to real estate 1,053 591 78.2% $24,026 $28,870 -16.8%Offices of real estate agents and brokers 789 463 70.4% $27,485 $28,381 -3.2%Lessors of real estate 1,819 1,557 16.8% $21,041 $20,920 0.6%Lessors of nonfinancial intangible assets, such as brand names, trademarks and patents 87 99 -12.1% $54,280 $47,512 14.2%

Computer systems design and related services 2,722 676 302.7% $57,439 $47,419 21.1%Accounting and bookkeeping 3,578 1,660 115.5% $36,542 $35,507 2.9%Management and technical consulting 2,039 814 150.5% $44,418 $48,803 -9.0%Architectural and engineering 3,403 2,258 50.7% $45,737 $44,534 2.7%Advertising and related services 1,782 922 93.3% $28,871 $37,651 -23.3%Lawyers’ offices and other legal services 3,609 2,759 30.8% $42,513 $46,013 -7.6%Other professional and technical services, including marketing research, commer-cial photography and veterinary services 2,006 1,359 47.6% $21,200 $21,603 -1.9%Scientific research and development 417 126 231.0% $57,781 $36,628 57.8%Specialized design, such as graphic design 472 462 2.2% $31,199 $26,230 18.9%

Administrative and support, including employment services, temporary help and telemarketing agencies 30,179 18,591 62.3% $22,168 $19,185 15.5%Waste management and remediation (collection and recycling) 1,131 1,412 -19.9% $35,049 $36,683 -4.5%

Nursing and residential care facilities 17,732 11,972 48.1% $21,488 $16,833 27.7%Hospitals 22,758 18,685 21.8% $35,905 $31,502 14.0%Physicians’ offices 10,259 6,391 60.5% $55,756 $78,733 -29.2%Social assistance 7,558 3,812 98.3% $18,388 $14,895 23.4%Home health care 3,434 1,655 107.5% $18,163 $19,211 -5.5%Outpatient care centers 2,545 1,026 148.1% $36,058 $47,043 -23.4%Offices of other health practitioners, including chiropractors, optometrists and podiatrists 2,833 1,659 70.8% $25,897 $26,953 -3.9%Dentists’ offices 3,389 2,387 42.0% $37,101 $31,531 17.7%Other ambulatory health care, including blood and organ banks 754 327 130.6% $25,783 $21,567 19.5%Medical and diagnostic laboratories 467 220 112.3% $38,017 $42,959 -11.5%

Amusements, gambling, and recreation 5,976 4,610 29.6% $13,959 $15,417 -9.5%Museums, historical sites, zoos, and parks 517 245 111.0% $23,109 $18,704 23.6%Performing arts and spectator sports 948 10,746 -91.2% $18,138 $12,649 43.4%

Full-service restaurants 21,575 10,970 96.7% $11,041 $10,500 5.1%Limited-service eating places 20,158 11,285 78.6% $9,458 $9,389 0.7%Drinking places, alcoholic beverages 2,116 2,277 -7.1% $10,091 $9,914 1.8%Special food services (caterers and food service contractors) 962 1,454 -33.8% $10,168 $8,377 21.4%Accommodation (hotels and motels) 2,708 3,298 -17.9% $14,554 $12,229 19.0%

Personal care, including beauty salons and barber shops 4,208 2,453 71.5% $14,711 $14,546 1.1%Automotive repair and maintenance 4,530 3,721 21.7% $25,566 $25,408 0.6%Membership associations, including business and professional organizations and labor unions 5,272 4,847 8.8% $13,903 $14,641 -5.0%Death care, including funeral homes and cemeteries 1,015 801 26.7% $23,273 $24,389 -4.6%Commercial machinery repair and maintenance 921 786 17.2% $37,983 $34,972 8.6%Electronic equipment repair and maintenance 216 183 18.0% $39,557 $32,111 23.2%Dry cleaning and laundry 1,719 1,727 -0.5% $15,849 $15,749 0.6%Private households (cooks, maids, chauffeurs and gardeners) 560 612 -8.5% $16,226 $12,030 34.9%Household goods repair and maintenance 186 252 -26.2% $21,503 $22,044 -2.5%Other personal services, including parking lots and photofinishing 675 1,154 -41.5% $19,852 $16,857 17.8%

Five-county Akron-Canton area, 1990-2004

PRIVATE SECTOR

REAL ESTATE AND RENTAL AND LEASING

PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL SERVICES

ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPPORT SERVICES

HEALTH CARE AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE

ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, AND RECREATION

ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES

OTHER SERVICES

EMPLOYEES

2004 1990PERCENTCHANGE 2004 1990*

PERCENTCHANGE

AVERAGE ANNUAL PAY EMPLOYEES

2004 1990PERCENTCHANGE 2004 1990*

PERCENTCHANGE

AVERAGE ANNUAL PAY

EMPLOYEES

2004 1990PERCENTCHANGE 2004 1990*

PERCENTCHANGE

AVERAGE ANNUAL PAY

LOCAL PUBLIC EDUCATION

GOVERNMENT SECTOR

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRYEMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY This chart shows the growth or decline in jobs in the various sectors in Summit, Stark, Portage, Medina and Wayne counties. It also shows growth or decline in pay adjustedfor inflation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Private sector continued

Plastics products 9,420 7,031 34.0% $36,129 $31,939 13.1%Textile and fabric mills 1,258 281 347.7% $30,184 $20,590 46.6%Nonmetallic mineral products 3,495 3,023 15.6% $35,028 $36,161 -3.1%Computer and electronic products 2,331 2,134 9.2% $46,063 $32,742 40.7%Chemicals 6,145 5,950 3.3% $46,772 $45,006 3.9%Wood products 1,710 1,852 -7.7% $29,262 $27,177 7.7%Apparel, including footware andleather goods 76 251 -69.7% $23,791 $22,475 5.9%Printing and related support activities 4,256 4,679 -9.0% $34,543 $37,697 -8.4%Paper products 2,723 3,570 -23.7% $47,743 $44,204 8.0%Food and beverages 7,944 8,864 -10.4% $40,129 $34,451 16.5%Electrical equipment and appliance 3,920 5,138 -23.7% $48,539 $44,434 9.2%Miscellaneous, including medical equipment, jewelry and toys 4,275 5,671 -24.6% $37,482 $32,116 16.7%Machinery 8,846 10,365 -14.7% $42,919 $42,238 1.6%Furniture and related products 2,466 4,441 -44.5% $32,334 $39,907 -19.0%Transportation equipment 9,117 11,494 -20.7% $54,578 $49,538 10.2%Fabricated metal products 22,598 25,561 -11.6% $48,996 $42,858 14.3%Primary metal (iron and steel mills) 5,979 14,670 -59.2% $44,885 $44,387 1.1%Rubber products, including tires,hoses and belts 4,501 13,284 -66.1% $45,159 $61,914 -27.1%

Food and beverage stores 13,089 7,177 82.4% $18,647 $15,418 20.9%Merchant wholesalers, durable goods 16,902 13,452 25.6% $43,091 $40,189 7.2%Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores 4,815 2,477 94.4% $33,349 $13,478 147.4%Motor vehicle and parts dealers 10,775 8,512 26.6% $33,765 $32,344 4.4%Health and personal care stores 6,351 4,129 53.8% $22,598 $22,438 0.7%Building material and garden supply stores 7,005 5,002 40.0% $25,939 $27,514 -5.7%Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods 7,254 5,558 30.5% $41,655 $33,868 23.0%Electronics and appliance stores 2,095 1,491 40.5% $26,451 $25,373 4.2%Gasoline stations 3,447 3,137 9.9% $15,257 $15,584 -2.1%Miscellaneous store retailers, such as florists and gift shops 3,786 3,525 7.4% $16,716 $21,434 -22.0%Furniture and home furnishings stores 1,959 1,809 8.3% $24,681 $24,964 -1.1%Nonstore retailers, such as mail-order houses and vending machine operators 1,967 1,906 3.2% $21,008 $22,562 -6.9%Clothing and clothing accessories stores 4,771 5,428 -12.1% $15,191 $16,555 -8.2%Electronic markets and agents and brokers 2,707 3,801 -28.8% $57,448 $43,552 31.9%General merchandise stores (department and discount stores) 12,344 20,565 -40.0% $16,673 $17,027 -2.1%

Utilities (power generation and supply) 2,915 1,432 103.6% $68,684 $52,180 31.6%Couriers and messengers 1,492 351 325.1% $35,662 $35,162 1.4%Warehousing and storage 1,042 161 547.2% $36,282 $35,651 1.8%General freight trucking 7,428 6,814 9.0% $41,641 $44,123 -5.6%Specialized freight trucking 1,777 1,167 52.3% $30,770 $30,783 0.0%Support activities for transportation 1,177 614 91.7% $29,618 $27,919 6.1%Air transportation, including airports and freight centers 146 109 33.9% $35,931 $30,635 17.3%Transit and ground passenger trans-portation (buses, taxi and mass transit) 321 375 -14.4% $13,490 $20,435 -34.0%

Publishing industries, except Internet 3,000 2,429 23.5% $41,015 $35,491 15.6%Broadcasting, except Internet 357 172 107.6% $34,616 $26,076 32.8%Internet service providers, search portals, and data processing 594 428 38.8% $41,099 $35,773 14.9%Motion picture and sound recording industries, including movie theaters 604 536 12.7% $11,190 $17,836 -37.3%Telecommunications, including telephone and cable television 2,400 3,499 -31.4% $52,353 $47,415 10.4%

Insurance carriers and related activities 8,353 4,944 69.0% $44,844 $38,852 15.4%Securities, commodity contracts, investments 1,598 99 1514.1% $82,815 $57,278 44.6%Credit and related activities, including Commerical banks, credit card com-panies, credit unions, mortage and loan brokers 8,599 9,709 -11.4% $35,485 $26,718 32.8%

Private school teachers, instructors, trainers and support staff 8,706 4,313 101.9% $22,129 $20,334 8.8%

CONSTRUCTION

MANUFACTURING

RETAIL AND WHOLESALE TRADE

TRANSPORTATION, WAREHOUSING AND UTILITIES

INFORMATION

FINANCE AND INSURANCE

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, FISHING, HUNTING AND MINING

*1990 average annual pay adjusted for inflation to 2004 dollars.

Note: Job counts don’t add up to sector totals because data is omitted for privacy reasons in cases where there are few employees or employers in a county.


Small businesses are the new job-creatorsC ontinued from Page G4

W hile manufacturing employment dwindles, it remains a vital partof the economy, especially for wealth creation, he said.

J ust don ’ t expect big corporations to create a lot of jobs inN ortheast Oh i o, Re a said . A bout half of the private work force isemployed by firms with less than $1 million in annual revenue.

S mall business opportunitiesAs Fortune 500 companies shed jobs the past 20 years, that has

created opportunities for small businesses. Large corporations areoutsourcing work they previously did in - house , he said.

In many cases, those outsourced jobs aren’t going overseas –they ’ re going next door to local small business, Rea said. ‘‘It’s smallbusiness that is creating most of the jobs.’’

T hese changes mean Northeast Oh i o’s leaders need to attract,retain and develop global businesses, he said.

C ompanies and industries here also need to reinvent themselvesto stay competitive, Rea said.

In particular , small businesses need to become global, tounderstand other nations’ cultures and languages, he said.

‘‘Th a t’s a message that has to get out to our region,’’ Rea said.‘‘Ev e n if change is painful, you have to do it.’’

Re a said he can understand the frustration and anger from long-time Northeast Ohio manufacturing employees who lose their jobsbecause of competitive pressure.

Bu t N ortheast O hio residents are all consumers, he said. ‘‘Wed o n’t wake up in the morning and say, ‘What can I do to pay moreso you have a job?’ ’’

C onsumers are driving the economic changes here.Ta k e, for instance, restaurant employment, one of the region’s

growth engines. Larry G ilpatric , professor of hospitalitymanagement at the University of A kron , said the industry wasn’thurt during the last recession.

‘‘In the past, when people watched their money, dining out wasthe first thing you cut back on. That hasn’t happened this time,’’ hesaid . ‘ ‘ D ining out is one of these luxuries we’v e come to rely on. Forthe foreseeable future, we’l l continue to grow. They always say‘ P eople are going to continue to eat.’ ’’

D emand in health - care sectorP eople are also going to need to stay healthy.As nursing student Ti m Trojan and others have found out, that

makes jobs in the health - care industry look more and moreattractive . W hile average annual pay in the industry isn’t as high asit is in the manufacturing sector – $ 43 , 750 for manufacturing versus$3 1,9 8 7 in health care – trained health - care workers make a goodliving . R egistered nurses , for example, were paid an average$4 7,8 8 2 in 2003.

I ncreasingly , experienced workers are leaving their originalcareers and joining the ranks of nurses, therapists, technicians andother positions in the health - care field , said Kyle K lawitter , vicepresident of human resources for Summa Health S ystem .

‘‘We are seeing a lot of people taking health - care as a secondcareer , ’ ’ she said. ‘‘Th e y’r e finding manufacturing and some of theother areas are not as reliable an option.’’

In recent years, Summa , which owns Akron C ity , St. Thomasand Cuyahoga Falls General hospitals, eclipsed Goodyear Tire &R ubber Co. as Summit C ounty ’ s largest private - sector employer .

As the number of older Americans grows and medicaltechnologies continue to expand, the need for workers in thehealth - care industry is expected to keep growing, Klawitter said.

‘‘I d o n’t think there are as many people coming into the workforce to take care of all the people who are going to need to betaken care of,’’ she said.

C anton resident Charles B anks , currently working amanufacturing job, sees a better future in health care.

B anks , 4 6, has worked the last 12 years at Collins & A ikman , aC anton company that makes floor mats and insulation for cars.W here the plant once had more than 500 employees, it now hasabout 115. Banks has already been laid off once, and is among 10employees with the least seniority.

A s a result , B anks is studying at Stark State College to become anurse . ‘ ‘ N ursing , I saw, was the only thing that would be productivefor me for 20, 25 years,’’ he said. When he completes his associatedegree in May 2006, he plans to keep studying for a bachelor’s andthen a master’s degree .

E mployees at other Northeast Ohio manufacturers need to lookat the trends affecting their workplace and take steps now toprepare for possible job loss, he said.

‘‘Yo u have to get yourself prepared,’’ Banks said. ‘‘You have tohave something to fall back on. Look at the big picture, and don’t benaive your job will be there.’’

Ji m M ackinnon can be reached at 330 - 996 - 3544 or jmackinnon @ thebeaconjounal . com . D avid K nox can be reached at 330 - 996 - 3532 or dknox @ thebeaconjournal . com . R eporters M ary E thridge , B etty L in - F isher and Cheryl Powell contributed to this report.


TAKE THIS ONEOUTLOOK

Story #20088 System AKRE by MMARCUS Time 23:13:14 Date 3/28/05Color layer: BlackG 5 4X Pg. Date 4/03/05 Story: Topic: INL TAKES Keyword INL M TAKE Page 1


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S mall but sterling sectorsSome regional industries growing fast

but tend to get little attention

By Jim MackinnonB eacon J ournal business writer

Do you like to wager?W ant to place a bet on where your career or business may grow

and prosper in coming years?A lot of the smart money says the health - care , education , retail ,

food service, administration and support service industries aregrowing steadily and may be your best bets.

Bu t there are other business segments just below the radarscreen that appear to have a healthy future as well , though theymay not add as many jobs overall as the favorites are expected tod o.

E ven N ortheast Oh i o’s manufacturers , despite decades ofemployment decline, show strength compared to the rest of thenation , according to a Beacon Journal analysis of industry andemployment trends in S ummit , S tark , P ortage , M edina and Waynecounties .

Th e paper ’ s analysis shows some of the region’s best bets maybe in industries that aren’t the ones adding the greatest numbers ofemployees .

Bu t they are areas that have been growing faster here than thenation as a whole from 1990 through the end of 200 3, and in somecases , they pay well.

T hose include : • Personal and laundry services.• Health and personal care stores.• Chemical manufacturing.• Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores.• Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing.O ther growing industries that pay well in the five - county

A kron - C anton area include durable and nondurable goodswholesalers , insurance carriers and related activities, computersystems design.

A nother apparent growth area is in the securities, commoditycontracts and investments industry, where, for example, thenumber of jobs in the five - county area went from 550 in 1990 tomore than 1 , 600 in 2004. Annual pay, adjusted for inflation, rosefrom an average of $ 60 , 399 in 1990 to $ 83 , 342 in 2004.

M artin W eisberg , vice president of Jentner Financial Group inB ath T ownship , said he expects the job and growth opportunitiesin finance to remain good.

‘‘Yo u’v e got more and more people recognizing they can’tnecessarily do everything themselves,’’ he said. I n those instances,and as the world of investment has become more sophisticated , they turn to professionals in the finance field for help andguidance .

In many instances, companies offer 401(k) plans instead oftraditional pensions, meaning individual employees make theirown investment decisions, he said.

‘ ‘ P eople are finding themselves with meaningful amounts ofmoney , ’ ’ W eisberg said . ‘‘Th e r e’s a certain amount of affluencepeople are experiencing.’’

T hat opens opportunities for people who are good at providinginvestment and financial planning advice, he said.

‘‘Yo u might have to struggle to pay your dues in the earlyyears , ’ ’ he said. But the professionals who develop a good clientbase can end up with a lucrative career, he said.

T here are no guarantees, of course, how well any industry willdo in coming years. New technologies or other breakthroughs,economic calamities and more will determine how healthy or sicka particular industry, company or profession will be.

In making the forecasts, labor market analysts balance suchthings as industrial growth, population growth, changes in income,interest rates, inflation, government spending, energy costs, thevalue of the dollar and more to develop as realistic a picture aspossible , said Larry L ess , economist with the state’s Bureau ofL abor M arket I nformation i n Columbus .

Th e B eacon J ournal ’ s analysis showed healthy, growingindustries include:

• Professional and technical services.• Real estate.• Computer and electronic product manufacturing.• Publishing , not including I nternet . • Couriers and messengers.• Transportation support activities.N ortheast O hio industries that are struggling but still stronger

than the nation overall include:• Fabricated metal products.• Plastics and rubber products.• Primary metal.• Miscellaneous manufacturing.

Ji m M ackinnon can be reached at 330 - 996 - 3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal . com . D avid Kn o x, manager of computer - assisted reporting , contributed to thisreport .



OUTLOOK



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25

30

35

40

45

’90 ’92 ’94 ’96 ’98 ’00 ’02 ’04

Job growth in the restaurant industry has been steady since 1990, but it is one of the lowest-paying sectors overall. Average annual pay: $10,510.

Occupations breakdown

SERVERS

Serving is a fast-growing occupation with average hourly wages of $7.09, though earnings can vary widely depending on the type of restaurant and tips. Requires on-the-job training.

FAST-FOOD PREPARERS AND

SERVERS

They make up the largest percentage of the Akron-area restaurant industry's work force with 14,420 in 2000. Hourly wage averages $7.14. Workers get short-term, on-the-job training.

CHEFS AND HEAD COOKS

Average hourly pay: $14.02. Some are highly paid, however, depending on the quality of restaurant. Chefs direct menu planning, preparation, seasoning and cooking. Postsecondary vocational training is usually required.

RESTAURANT COOKS

They prepare, season and cook food. They may assist in ordering supplies and menu planning. Hourly wages average $9.09 and education is generally long-term, on-the-job training.

FOOD SERVICE MANAGERS

Direct or coordinate activities of an organization that serves food and beverages. Hourly wage averages $19.02. Work experience in a related occupation required.

Accommodation and food services

Food andbeverageservers:

42%

Cooks and food

preparers: 19%

Other food preperation and serving

workers:10%

Supervisors of food preparers and servers: 6%

Building cleaningworkers: 5%

All other food and accommodation occupations: 18%

Figures in thousands

AKRON-AREA HOTEL &

FOOD SERVICE EMPLOYMENT

AKRON-AREA HOTEL &

FOOD SERVICE EMPLOYMENT

IN DEMANDIN DEMAND

SOURCES: U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, Northeast Central Ohio Economic Development Region 9 Occupational Employment Projections Report, 2000-2010 Ohio Occupational Employment Projections Report

FOOD

HEALTH

A smorgasbord of optionsRestaurant, hospitality industry teachesmany skills on the job; wages, tips vary

By Betty L in - F isher B eacon J ournal business writer

A nne D uber i s n’t your typical restaurant worker – because thereis no typical restaurant worker.

In an industry whose jobs span the spectrum from fast - food worker to executive chef at a five - star restaurant , there ’ s room forpeople from all walks of life and all types of aspirations .

S ome people just want to pick up a few hours and a little extramoney while others work full time to pay for school . S till othersmay go into it as a career.

‘‘On e of the nice things about the restaurant industry is the widearray of positions and type of flexibility that’s there for people,’’said Barbara S cheule , an associate professor of hospitalitymanagement at Kent State U niversity .

It’s also an industry that can accommodate a wide range ofpeople with different talents.

‘‘If y o u’r e a person who enjoys taking care of people, it’s anindustry where that’s what you get to do. You can makesomebody ’ s day by bringing a meal to the table that was justperfect , ’ ’ she said.

In Northeast O hio , the accommodation and food servicesindustry was second only to health care when it came to creatingnew jobs from 1990 to 2004, according to an Akron Beacon Journalanalysis . In 1990 , 29 , 300 people worked in the industry. I n 2004 , 47 , 500 people worked in the industry, an increase of 62 percent.

N ationally , the restaurant industry employs 12.2 million people,according to the National Restaurant A ssociation . Th e industry isthe largest employer besides the government, according to thetrade group.

Th e group also says Americans will spend almost 47 percent oftheir food dollar in restaurants in 2005.

Th a t’s because people view eating out differently these days,

said S cheule . It’s not just about going out for a special occasionanymore . It’s about dinner out because Mo m o r Dad doesn’t feellike cooking.

E xperience and tips influence incomePa y in the industry varies widely. The average annual wage

went up 4 percent from $ 10 , 115 in 1990, adjusted for inflation, to$1 0,5 1 0 in 2004.

H owever , those in the industry say pay can go as high as$ 150 , 000 for a general manager of a restaurant. Chefs can make asmuch as $ 50 , 000 a year and servers as much as $6 0,0 0 0, dependingon the restaurant.

P ete N ervo , owner of Jaspers Restaurant in the Ellet area ofA kron and J asper ’ s G rille & Pub i n West A kron , said pay willdepend upon experience and tips.

He pays some of his cooks $7.5 0 an hour and others $1 2 t o $13 anhour . Hi s wait staff starts out higher than the $2.1 3 an hourminimum wage for waiters at $2.3 8 an hour. But with tips, hethinks his servers are getting close to $1 2 t o $15 an hour, which cantop $ 31 , 000 a year.

It is widely acknowledged in the industry that many waitersd o n’t report all of their tips on their income tax, although it isrequired by the government. This makes valid statistics hard tofind .

Th e amount of tips someone receives really depends upon thetype of restaurant. Nervo said his workers at J asper ’ s R estaurant , which is more of a home - cooking restaurant , make less in tips thanthe workers at his fine dining location on White Pond D rive .

B artending and degree enhance earningsAs beverage manager at the upscale Jacob Good Downtown in

A kron , D uber receives a salary. But she also works as a bartenderwho gets paid hourly with tips. She estimates she makes $ 75 , 000 ayear with the two positions.

Fo r D uber , who has a college degree in human and familystudies , the job at Jacob Good is a short - term position . Sh e’slooking for a sales position, even though she knows she makes good

money now. I n college , she worked as a server atsome casual restaurants and also as a bartender.A fter college , she also sold wine for two years.

Th e money a server brings home definitelydepends on the place, she said.

‘‘I’v e done very, very well here. It’s moreconsistent behind the bar,’’ she said. ‘‘The money isgreat . Th a t’s pretty much why I haven’t l e f t.’’

B eing a bartender is also great for networking,said D uber . Sh e estimates that bartenders at otherrestaurants make anywhere from $ 35 , 000 to$7 0,0 0 0 a year.

W orkers in the food industry don’t necessarilyneed a formal education, but those with aneducation are often more mobile and move upquicker in an organization, said Larry G ilpatric , aprofessor of hospitality management at theU niversity o f Akron .

Bu t T racy R oadarmel , owner of Jacob G ood , said he doesn’t think a formal education isnecessary to make it in the industry.

R oadarmel uses his own career as an example.He drove to O rlando , Fl a., two days after highschool graduation and got a job at Walt DisneyW orld . By the time he was 22, he was a hotelexecutive for R itz - C arlton .

R oadarmel said while he looks for people withbasic restaurant skills, he’s more interested insomeone ’ s drive to succeed than their schoolbackground .

‘‘I can teach them everything they need to

k n o w,’’ he said.G ilpatric said interest in the food industry has increased with

the popularity of cable TV food shows.‘‘Th e celebrity chefs that we see on TV have added to give the

whole industry a bit more prestige,’’ said G ilpatric , who is also acertified chef. ‘‘At one point, it was a career of last choice. Now it’sa career people are seeking out and saying, ‘This is something Icould do for the rest of my life.’ ’’

B etty L in - F isher can be reached at 330 - 996 - 3724 or blinfisher @ thebeaconjournal . com . C omputer assisted reporting manager David Knox contributed to this report.

H ealth - care market robustNursing, rehab and health aide prospects

will keep growing as population ages

By Cheryl PowellB eacon J ournal medical writer

L ooking for a secure job that’s stable even when the localeconomy is ailing?

C onsider the health - care field . ‘‘Th e r e’s been very little retrenchment in health care,’’ said

M aureen N. Va nDu s e r, senior vice president of human resources atA kron G eneral M edical C enter . ‘‘Yo u’r e always going to have sickpeople , so you’r e always going to have to have people to take careof them.’’

As the population keeps getting older, there’s going to be evenmore need for health - care workers to tend to people’s ailments .

In fact , the health - care sector has been, and continues to be, theregion ’ s fastest - growing job market.

‘‘In this area, we are the major employers in the region,’’ saidK yle K lawitter , vice president of human resources for SummaH ealth S ystem i n Akron . ‘ ‘ H ealth care is probably bringing thelargest number of jobs to this area. W e need to have the health - care providers to take care of all the patients.’’

S ome of the hottest job prospects in the medical field can befound in the nursing ranks, thanks to an ongoing shortage ofregistered nurses.

T hroughout the region, hospitals, doctors’ offices, home healthagencies and other health - care providers are fighting to findqualified registered nurses. RNs, who must have at least a two - year degree , earn an average of about $23 an hour, about $ 48 , 000 a year,according to a state report.

N ursing degree opens door to more optionsJe n M ize knew nurses were in demand when she decided to

continue her education two years ago after getting a bachelor’sdegree in biological sciences.

So the 25 - year - old B arberton woman went to Kent StateU niversity , where she was accepted into an accelerated programthat enables people with college degrees to get a nursing degree intwo years or less.

Sh e immediately got a job in the pediatric intensive - care unit atA kron C hildren ’ s H ospital , where starting RNs earn an average of$2 0.3 0 per hour.

O riginally , she said, she thought nursing would be asteppingstone to becoming a physician assistant .

‘‘Bu t I love it,’’ she said.W hile she continues to get training, Mize is working three 12-

hour day shifts per week. Once she finishes her orientation period,she ’ ll start working three night shifts, also 12 hours each.

Th e shifts are long, she said, but rewarding.‘‘I think it’s very challenging,’’ she said. ‘‘It requires me to

problem - solve . I need to be able to communicate with patients andfamilies . ’ ’

M ize said she also likes the fact that a career in nursing enablesher to switch specialties or, if she wants, move up the job ladder.

‘‘Th e r e are a lot of different options with nursing,’’ she said.

R ehab specialists sought by hospitalsO ccupational , physical and speech therapists also are highly

sought after by hospitals, nursing homes and home health agencies.T hese rehab specialists must complete at least four or five years

of college and typically earn hourly wages in the high $2 0s to low$3 0s, said Karen K arshary , vice president of home care andcommunity services for Sumner Home Care and Sumner SkilledS ervices i n Copley T ownship .

O ther hot jobs in health care include radiology and laboratorytechnicians , who can earn at least $ 34 , 000 fresh out of a two - year or four - year post - high school program, Van D user said .

Bu t not all job openings within the field are as lucrative .

Ai d e, assistant jobsplentiful but pay lessS ome of the most plentiful

jobs – home health aides andnursing assistants – are towardthe bottom of the pay scale.

A ides and nursing assistantsgenerally earn between $8 and$9 an hour for helping withfood and personal care. Manyagencies don’t offer theseworkers benefits.

U nless M edicare andM edicaid increasereimbursements for home care,agencies will be hard pressed toincrease wages and benefits,K arshary said .

Bu t the jobs are plentiful.‘‘Th e r e’s been a shortage,

especially of home health aides,for several years,’’ she said.‘‘Re a l l y, I only see it gettingworse . ’ ’

O nly a small portion of jobswithin the medical field go tohighly paid specialty doctors or

top administrators, who earn six - digit salaries . ‘‘If y o u’r e looking at stability and you’r e looking at satisfaction,

health care might be a good place for you,’’ Van D user said . ‘‘If youwant to become a millionaire, we’r e probably not the place fory o u.’’

C heryl P owell can be reached at 330 - 996 - 3902 or chpowell @ thebeaconjournal . com . S taff writer

D avid K nox contributed to this report.


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Job growth in the health-care and social assistance sector has been rapid. Average annual pay in the sector has declined from $32,143 to $31,987 since 1990 because of faster growth in lower-paying jobs.


REGISTERED NURSES

Serve in hospitals, doctors' offices, outpatient centers and homes. Demand rising as population ages. Associ-ate degree and a state license required. Average annual salary: $47,882.

HOME HEALTH AIDES

Provide personal health care such as bathing, dressing and grooming to elderly and disabled patients. Average hourly wage in 2003: $9.12. Benefits often not provided. Short-term, on-the-job training required.

NURSING AIDES

Change linens, feed, bathe, dress, groom and move patients in a hospital or nursing home. Average hourly wage: $10.19. Short-term, on-the-job training required.

SURGEONS

Among the highest-paying occupations in health care. Average annual salary: $202,488. Also one of the hardest jobs to get. Must complete medical school and several years of on-the-job training through a residency program.

Health care and social assistance


Registered nursesand therapists: 18%

All other occupations in the health care industry: 41%

Physicians and other practitioners: 4%

Medical secretaries andadmin. assistants: 5%

Other healthcare support: 6%

Nursing,psychiatric,and home

health aides:13%

Healthtechnologists

and technicians:

13%

AKRON-AREA HEALTH & SOCIAL

ASSISTANCE EMPLOYMENT

AKRON-AREA HEALTH & SOCIAL

ASSISTANCE EMPLOYMENT

IN DEMANDIN DEMAND


PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS

Conduct physicals, provide treatment and counsel patients under a doctor's supervision. Average annual salary: $70,678. A bachelor's degree from an accredited program required.


OUTLOOK

KEN LOVE / A kron B eacon J ournal

Je n M ize o f Barberton earned a second degree, in nursing, through an accelerated program at KentS tate U niversity . Sh e tends to patient David M ayfield , 1 4, a t Akron C hildren ’ s H ospital .

PHIL MASTURZO / A kron B eacon J ournal

A nne D uber makes a good living from working two positions a t Jacob GoodD owntown – salaried beverage manager, and hourly bartender with tips.



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AKRON-AREA EMPLOYMENT IN

PROFESSIONAL & TECHNICAL SERVICES

AKRON-AREA EMPLOYMENT IN

PROFESSIONAL & TECHNICAL SERVICES


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Job growth in this sector, which runs the gamut from techies and receptionists to lawyers and engineers, has nearly doubled since 1990. The average annual pay hasn't kept pace, though, rising from $39,305 to $40,856.


SECRETARIESOften placed through temporary staffing agencies. Annual salary: $25,043. Duties include answering the phone, typing and filing. Moderate on-the-job training is usually sufficient.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTSSchedule appointments, do research and tackle tasks that bosses request. With only short on-the-job train-ing, they make an average of $32,136 a year.

COMPUTER SUPPORT SPECIALISTSThe IT guys who fix PCs — among other things. Demand is expected to grow as tech spending rises. Average annual salary: $38,355. Associate degree required.

APPLICATION SOFTWARE ENGINEERSDevelop computer programs based on clients' needs. More concerned with solving programming problems than with writing computer code. Average salary: $56,638. Bachelor's degree required.

Professional and technical services


Office and administrative

supportoccupations:

27%

Computer and mathematicaloccupations:

13%

Architectureand engineering

occupations:12%

Business andfinancialoperations: 11%

Legaloccupations: 8%

All otherprofessional, scientific and technical occupations: 30%

IN DEMANDIN DEMAND

COMPUTER PROGRAMMERSWrite and maintain computer programs. Nearly half held a bachelor's degree in 2002 and one in five held a graduate degree. Average annual salary: $58,718.


ADMIN & SUPPORT

TECH & PROFESSIONAL

No t glamorous , but steady1,000 new cleaning and janitorial jobsexpected in five-county area by 2010

By Joh n RussellB eacon J ournal business writer

K evin P aul used to wear a suit and tie to work. I n a good year,he pulled down $7 0,0 0 0, selling high - tech voice and data productsthroughout the M idwest .

No w he mops floors and cleans toilets at the Akron CivicT heatre . He says he earns ‘‘a small fraction’’ of his earlier wages.

‘‘I’m in a totally different place in my life,’’ he said, taking abreak from washing the lobby floor with a large machine .

P aul lost his sales job, along with several white - collar positions , in a series of layoffs and restructurings in the telecommunicationsindustry , which has been shrinking since the 1990s.

No w he is part of the growing ranks of janitors and cleaners , afast - growing occupation in O hio , with more than 10 , 000 new jobsexpected to be created by 2012, an increase of 11 percent over adecade , according to projections by the Ohio Department of Joband Family S ervices . M ore than 1 , 000 of those jobs will spring up inthe five - county A kron - C anton area .

Th e average hourly wage was $1 0.2 0 in 2003.Pa u l, 46 and single, works between 40 and 60 hours a week for

B R Johnson Cleaning S ervice , which has the cleaning contract atthe C ivic . He cleans , and also supervises a staff of four otherworkers at the theater.

Hi s job can be stressful and fast - paced . He has to keep thebuilding spotless for the thousands of people who attend shows andmeetings , sometimes cleaning the bathrooms and auditoriumseveral times a day.

Th e r e’s always something to do: wash windows, emptyashtrays , vacuum the carpet or empty trash cans.

‘‘It’s a large building. It’s the jewel of Main Street and we wantto keep it that way,’’ Paul said.

No t the career he had in mindF riendly and polite, Paul said he doesn’t mind janitorial work,

which he has been doing for two years. H e gets to meet and train awide variety of people. H e has flexible hours. H e likes his boss.

Bu t he would like to get his career back on track. ‘‘This is notwhere I imagined I would be at 46.’’

He said he is a few credit hours short of a communicationsdegree at Kent State U niversity . M eanwhile , he has found the jobmarket tight. He’d like to use the skills he honed in sales – makingpresentations and training workers – in a related field.

Bu t if he’s bothered by the turn of events, he tries to put it out ofhis mind. Faith keeps him focused on his daily duties. ‘‘God is at thehead of my life. H e makes all things possible right now,’’ Paul said.

F lexibility a plus for most in fieldC leaning buildings suits some people just fine. Dinah T urner -

C oleman , 3 4, took a part - time job last summer cleaning offices inthe evening for Four Corners Cleaning In c. and has since beenpromoted to a full - time supervisor .

Sh e likes the low stress and flexible hours, something she pointsout to people she trains.

‘‘Yo u work at your own pace,’’ she said. ‘‘Yo u’r e there aftereverybody is gone. You don’t have to put on a smiley face.N obody ’ s breathing down your back. Th e r e’s not much nonsense.Yo u do the job and go home.’’

S till , if one of her workers doesn’t show up, she has to jump inand handle the job herself. After all, no one at the doctor’s office orinsurance office wants to hear excuses in the morning about whythe wastebaskets are overflowing or why the toilet is clogged up.

C leaning service jobsaren ’ t going overseas

I f a CEO takes a week off, only a few people might notice. But ifa cleaning person misses a singleday , almost everyone in thebuilding will notice.

An d the work is plentiful.A round the Akron area, dozens ofcleaning firms have popped up inthe last few years to get a piece ofthe industry. Lots of largercompanies , from Goodyear Tire &R ubber Co. to local supermarkets,have hired outside vendors inrecent years to handle the cleaningduties .

‘‘We’r e growing by leaps andbounds , ’ ’ said Bill B erger , managing partner of AjaxC ommercial C leaning o f Akron , which has 200 workers, up about50 percent in the last two years.

‘‘It’s an easy business to enter,’’said Glenn W hitacre , businessmanager for BR Johnson C leaning , one of the older janitorial firms inthe area, which started in 1978.‘‘Yo u d o n’t need a lot of money toget started. I f you work hard, youcan make a decent living foryourself . ’ ’

An d unlike lots of otheroccupations , these jobs aren’tgoing overseas. N o one can cleana n Akron office building fromI ndia .

Bu t with wages low and turnover high, their biggest challenge isgetting enough people to do all the work. Some firms say workersstay only a few months, until they can find something better.A nnual turnover can approach 200 percent. The vast majority ofthe jobs are part - time , with few if any benefits.

‘‘It’s sometimes hard to find good, dependable workers,’’ saidK elly W olfe , office manager of Four Corners C leaning . ‘‘At thesame time, every company out there needs a cleaning perso n.’’

J ohn R ussell can be reached at 330 - 996 - 3550 or jrussell @ thebeaconjournal . com . C omputer -

assisted reporting manager David Knox contributed to this report.

T echnology at your serviceSoftware, systems specialists riding wave

of increased hiring after dot-com dip

By Erika D. SmithB eacon J ournal staff writer

In the middle of last summer, Joe Abraham was sweating. And ithad nothing to do with the heat.

Th e 2004 graduate of B aldwin - W allace C ollege had sentresumes to dozens of companies large and small – many of themnot even in his chosen field of computer programming . ‘‘I ha d adegree and I was afraid I’d never be able to use it,’’ he said.

A phone call from S age R ock . com soon rescued Abraham fromhis fears. The 23 - year - old is now algorithmic search director for theA kron company , which specializes in optimizing Web sites sosearch engines notice them.

‘‘Fo r m e, being able to code what people see is really cool,’’ hesaid .

A braham , experts say, caught the beginning of what willbecome a hiring wave in Northeast Ohio in computer - related fields . Th e occupations , such as software engineers, programmersand systems analysts, are among the fastest - growing in theincredibly diverse industry sector known as professional andtechnical services.

‘‘Wh a t’s happening in here is probably happening nationwide , ’ ’ said James C ookinham , president and executive director of theN ortheast O hio S oftware A ssociation . ‘‘Wi t h the dot - com bust , jobs that were very hot got very cool, very fast.’’

No w things seem to be picking up.T ech companies are finally regaining their footing. The reason:

O ther industries are starting to spend money again on software,computers and networking equipment. It’s a trend that could lastfor years as the region – and the nation – shrugs off the economicdownturn .

‘ ‘ E verybody ’ s breathing a sigh of relief,’’ Cookinham said. ‘‘It’s

finally happening.’’I deally , companies want candidates with at least a bachelor ’ s

degree and a few years of experience. But that might not berealistic , C ookinham said .

‘‘A lot of these people couldn’t get the tech jobs when theygraduated , so you’r e not going to get somebody with three years ofexperience , ’ ’ he said. ‘‘Th e y’v e been flipping burgers.’’

A braham , who lives in Norton but is moving to A kron , saidmany of the companies he applied to during his job hunt wantedthree to five years of experience.

‘ ‘ S maller companies are more willing to bend,’’ he said.In the long run, Cookinham doubts experience will matter

much . W ith the hunger for software that’s likely to develop in thenext few years, he predicts it will be an employees’ market.

‘‘I think there’s significant pent-u p demand , ’ ’ he said. ‘‘It couldget ugly.’’

A ccording to the Ohio Department and Job and Family S ervices , employment in computer - related fields will expand 28 percentbetween 2002 and 2012.

N ationwide , the U.S. Department of Labor reports, thoseoccupations will grow by 54.6 percent and add more than a third ofall new professional and technical services jobs by 2012.

T hat industrial sector is itself growing.N ationally , employment in the sector is expected to jump 27.8

percent by 2012, according to the Labor D epartment . T hose jobswill range from office support, such as administrative assistants andbookkeepers , to lawyers, accountants and architects.

T hat growth in professional and office jobs is part of what’sfueling the demand for new technology, said Dorothy B aunach , executive director of the Northeast Ohio Technology C oalition . Th e rest is coming from old - line industries that are trying toinnovate .

‘‘So m e of it’s supporting the manufacturing base that’s still hereand is becoming more efficient,’’ Baunach said. ‘‘Our financialservices sector also has been growing. That whole industry is beingfueled by IT.’’

I n a wa y, technology is creating a circle ofemployment , especially in office support positions.J ackie B inkiewicz sees it in her career as anadministrative assistant. Her latest gig is at Fe dExC ustom C ritical .

Th e B rimfield T ownship woman has watched theintroduction of different technologies change what itmeans to do her job.

On one hand, it’s made certain tasks, such as typinga document, easier and quicker. But it’s also creatednew tasks, such as setting up W eb - based seminars , anda greater need for help pulling them off. Executivesd o n’t have time, so the tasks fall to administrativeassistants .

‘‘Th e job is in demand, especially with the fast pace(o f work ) that everybody is accustomed to,’’ she said.

By sheer numbers, administrative assistants are oneof the most common occupations in the professionaland technical services sector.

Th e latest figures available show there were nearly6,0 0 0 administrative assistants in the A kron - C anton area in 2003 – and that’s just for the offices of lawyers,accountants , architects and tech types.

B inkiewicz wasn ’ t among them because heremployer , Fe dEx C ustom C ritical , and its employeesare counted in another industrial sector. But her duties

are the same as any administrative assistant’s.Sh e schedules appointments; she does research; she creates

presentations ; she runs errands. She does what the vice president ofhuman resources doesn’t have time to do, and Binkiewicz adores it.

‘‘It’s a caretaking role. The whole aspect of it fits me well,’’ theB rimfield T ownship woman said. ‘ ‘ . . . Th a t’s my personality.’’

E rika D. Smith can be reached at 330 - 996 - 3748 or at ersmith @ thebeaconjournal . com


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The number of administrative and support-services jobs has increased 57 percent in the Akron area since 1990, although the number has dropped since peaking in 2000. Clerks and secretar-ies make up the largest job category. Average salary in the sector: $22,633.


EXECUTIVE SECRETARIESHigh-level administrative support, conducting research, preparing reports, handling information requests, scheduling meetings. Average salary: $34,237. Requires experi-ence and on-the-job training.

SECURITY GUARDSMonitor a property to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. Average yearly wage: $22,422. Requires short-term on-the-job training.

TRUCK DRIVERSWages vary widely but average $34,443 a year. Requires licensing certifica-tion and some on-the-job training. Openings expected to grow 22 percent between 2000 and 2010.

MAIDS AND HOUSEKEEPERSLight cleaning at hotels, restaurants and hospitals. Average income: $17,202. Openings are expected to grow 16 percent between 2000 and 2010. Requires short-term on-the-job training.

Administrative and support services

AKRON-AREA ADMINISTRATIVE AND

SUPPORT SERVICES EMPLOYMENT

AKRON-AREA ADMINISTRATIVE AND

SUPPORT SERVICES EMPLOYMENT


Clerks, secretariesand other

administrativesupport:

22%

Building andgrounds

cleaning andmaintenance:

20%

Transportationand material

moving:1.3%

Inspectors, testers and other production support: 8%

Security guards and otherprotective service: 8%

All other administrative and support occupations: 29%

IN DEMANDIN DEMAND

LANDSCAPERS AND GROUNDS-KEEPERSLaying sod, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, etc. Average wages: $21,507. Requires short-term on-the-job training.




KEN LOVE / A kron B eacon J ournal

K evin Pa u l, a former tech product salesman, polishes the floor at the Civic T heatre . In his currentjob , he supervises others and likes his boss, but hopes to use his sales skills again someday.

ROBIN TINAY SALLIE / A kron B eacon J ournal

Jo e A braham , a 2004 graduate of B aldwin - W allace C ollege , caught thebeginning of a hiring wave when he landed a job with S age R ock . com i n Akron .

OUTLOOK



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AKRON-AREA EDUCATION, TRAINING

AND LIBRARY OCCUPATIONS EMPLOYMENT

AKRON-AREA EDUCATION, TRAINING

AND LIBRARY OCCUPATIONS EMPLOYMENT


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Job growth in the education sector has been rapid since 1990, but is expected to slow down because of budget cuts and declin-ing enrollment. Average annual pay in the sector was nearly flat, rising from $32,352 to $32,679 since 1990 (in 2004 dollars).


Education (both private and public sectors)

Elementary, middleschool, preschool and kindergarten teachers:

19%

Secondaryschool

and specialeducationteachers:

13%

Counselors,teacher

assistantsand other

instructors:13%

Secretaries and administrative assistants: 4%

Buildingmaintenance:

5%

Education administrators and managers:

4%

All other educational occupations: 42%


IN DEMANDIN DEMAND


HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERSDemand rising as many retire in the next 10 years. Bachelor's degree from approved program and a license required. Annual salary: $44,090.

TEACHER ASSISTANTSTutor, supervise and assist children, and prepare materials for teachers. Annual salary: $20,950. About half work part time. Demand rising for foreign language and special education abilities. No college degree necessary.

SELF-ENRICHMENT EDUCATION TEACHERSTeach self-improvement courses, including dancing, photography and personal finance. Average hourly wage: $12.66, often part time without benefits. Rising demand for English as a second language teachers.

SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERSWork with students with disabilities, often special-izing a curriculum. Salary about $44,000. Bachelor's degree from approved program and a license required in Ohio.

INSTRUCTIONAL COORDINATORSDevelop instructional materials, train teachers and assess educational programs. Average wage: $23.77 per hour. Demand increasing because of new school standards. Bachelor's degree required; graduate degree preferred.


RETAIL & WHOLESALE

EDUCATION

R etailers crucial to OhioVolatile, fast-growing job sector

characterized by low wages, few benefits

By Mar y EthridgeB eacon J ournal business writer

V icki S mith considers herself one of the lucky ones. The 46-year - old divorced woman, who never went to college, is theproduce manager at the Mustard Seed Market in the BathT ownship area of M ontrose .

S mith declined to say how much she makes, but it is above theaverage hourly wage of $1 5.4 8 for her type of position in the five-county A kron - C anton area .

Sh e has low - cost health insurance and a 401(k) retirement planwith a company match – a wage and benefits package better thanmost who don’t have a college degree.

Sh e owns a home and a car in her name. Her two boys are welleducated and now living on their own. She adores her job and thestore where she’s worked for 14 years.

‘‘So many places in retail don’t care about their workers, but thiscompany is different,’’ she said.

Th e retail industry is one of the fastest - growing sectors of theN ortheast O hio economy . R etail and wholesale trade jobs in theA kron - C anton region have grown 13 percent since 1990 to 99 , 300 in 2004, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor S tatistics .

Th e trend is also reflected nationally. Nearly 9 percent of allnew jobs in the last decade in the United States were in retail.

R etailers vital to Ohio economyT oday , the top two employers in Oh i o – Wa l-Ma r t S tores In c.

and Kroger Co . – are retailers. One of every five workers in theU nited S tates is in retail at some level. There are about 24 millionretail workers in the United S tates .

‘ ‘ R etailers play a crucial role in Oh i o’s economy and they’l l play

a bigger one in the future,’’ said Gordon G ough , public affairsspecialist with the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants in C olumbus . ‘‘It will be the biggest (employment sector) i n Ohio by 2012.’’

Th e state estimates that jobs in the retail sector will increase 10percent between 2002 and 2012.

T here are many kinds of jobs in retail, from accountant tocashier , said G ough .

‘‘Th e r e’s room for people with all sorts of skills,’’ he said.M ost retail positions do not require a high level of education .

A bout 53 percent of all retail workers 25 and older have only a highschool education or less. Although teenagers make up 13 percent ofretail employees, the average age is 37.

S ome people in retail make a lot of money by most standards . M anagers o f Wa l-Ma r t S upercenters usually make more than$ 125 , 000 annually ; department store managers typically makebetween $ 80 , 000 and $ 100 , 000 a year.

Bu t the average pay level of all retail workers nationally is 47percent below the average in other sectors. The average hourlywage of a non - supervisory retail worker is $9.7 7 or just more than$2 0,0 0 0 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor S tatistics . Th a t’swell below the average per capita income of $ 29 , 944 for O hioans .

T hose who criticize low wages in retail often take aim at thecountry ’ s largest employer – Wa l-Ma r t. A 2004 study by theU niversity o f California at Berkeley found that Wa l-Ma r temployees there earn 31 percent less than those at other retailers inC alifornia . Th e study estimated that Wa l-Ma r t workers on publicassistance cost California $86 million a year.

Wa l-Ma r t employees use 40 percent more of taxpayer funds onhealth care than employees at other retailers, the study shows.

H igh turnover , low pay part of part - time workR etail is often perceived not only as a low - wage field but a

volatile one as well.Th e voluntary turnover rate – those people who change jobs by

choice – is 29.3 percent annually, statistics show. Some estimatethat nearly 30 percent of all retail employees work fewer than 30

days at one place.N early 35 percent of all retail workers are

part time, according to the National RetailF ederation . Bu t, they point out, 84 percentof those people don’t want to work full time.

V icki S mith worked only part time at theM ustard S eed until her divorce in 2000,after which she needed full - time work . Sh efeels lucky that Mustard Seed found a placefor her even though she didn’t have anextensive retail background.

S mith had married soon after graduatingfrom Highland High School and her onlypaid experience before the Mustard Seedwas years earlier as a clerk at a Y-Ma r tpharmacy .

Bu t luck was on S mith ’ s side . He rbrother - in - law was a chef at the MustardS eed and referred her to an opening therefor catering at Blossom Music C enter . Sh edidn ’ t have much formal experience, butshe felt she was up to the job.

‘‘I knew I could do it. I was confident,and I was willing to work hard,’’ said S mith . ‘‘I had to learn to come out of my shell – Iwas shy – but I did it.’’

W hen the catering contract withB lossom ended , S mith worked inaccounting at the Mustard Seed for a whilebefore being offered the produce managerjob there.

Sh e sees her job as a mission – to offer organic fruits andvegetables that are usually more expensive than standard produce– at a price within most budgets. The best part of her job, she said,is negotiating with suppliers.

‘‘I love the wheeling and dealing. I love to see how I can getthem down on price,’’ she said. Smith plans to stay in retail – and atthe Mustard Seed – until she retires.

‘‘I will never leave this store,’’ she said, ‘‘unless they make me.’’

M ary E thridge can be reached at 330 - 996 - 3545 or methridge @ thebeaconjournal . com

T eachers encounter slumpPlethora of candidates in state compete

for fewer jobs as schools tighten finances

By Sandra M. KlepachB eacon J ournal staff writer

S carce . Th a t’s the only word Annamaria Rinaldi can conjure up to

describe the job market for elementary school teachers . L aid off from her fourth - grade teaching job in April 2004,

R inaldi knows how difficult it is to find employment in her field.S ubstitute teaching provided her only income until N ovember .

‘‘Th e r e aren ’ t many jobs out there,’’ she said. ‘‘At the same timeI was looking, so were lots of other people.’’

Yo u would never know that teaching has been one of thefastest - growing professions in S ummit , S tark , P ortage , M edina andW ayne counties . Th e number of people employed in private andpublic education in the area – which includes librarians and aidesand other nonteaching positions – grew 45 percent from 1990 to2004 , from 31 , 500 to 45,8 0 0, according to the U.S. Bureau of LaborS tatistics .

Th e number of elementary school teaching jobs – the typesought by Rinaldi – is also expected to rise 9.3 percent between2002 and 2012, according to the Ohio Department of Job and FamilyS ervices .

Bu t two roadblocks have created a temporary slump in the jobmarket :

• A state budget shortfall of up to $5 billion could result inreductions in school funding. Where those cuts might hit is stillunknown . Bu t Go v. Bo b T aft has proposed shifting $2 billion ofcosts from the state to local school districts, many of which wouldhave to raise taxes or cut spending to make ends meet .

• Many schools also have been eliminating teaching positions(o r will ) due to an estimated 1.3 percent drop in Ohio studentenrollment between 2003 and 2008.

W ith more layoffs expected this spring, the educationdepartment said laid - off teachers may soon represent 6 percent ofthe entire teaching force of O hio .

Th e popularity of the field has kept it competitive, said RobertEl e y, assistant dean for Student Affairs in the University of A kron ’ s C ollege o f Education .

‘‘It’s not unusual for the early childhood program at mostinstitutions to be the largest program in all of teacher preparation,’’E ley said . ‘‘Ri g h t now , the number of candidates across the statetruly does outnumber the number of job opportunities there wouldbe for them.’’

R inaldi , 3 3, landed her first full - time teaching job at RankinE lementary i n Akron but lost it three years later when her districtlaid off 60 teachers to prevent a 2004 - 2005 budget deficit.

‘‘It was hard to separate myself from (my students) because Iwas making a difference, and I felt like part of their family,’’ shesaid . C omplicating her new job search, she was pregnant with hersecond son.

W hen she was laid off, Rinaldi ranked 75th on a list of teachersthe district wanted to rehire, in order of experience. She is nowthird on the list and has a part - time job teaching English as asecond language at A kron ’ s V oris and Case elementary schools.

‘‘I was never discouraged at any point, even though I waspregnant , laid off, No. 75,’’ she said. ‘‘Yo u’v e always got to have apositive attitude.’’

Ak r o n’s public schools never see a shortage of teachingapplicants , but the schools’ finances are tight, said Patricia C arlson , a district administrative secretary. I n fact , she said the district isnow ‘ ‘ looking into the very real possibility of laying off even more’’teachers in the spring.

‘‘We keep having budget issues, and it seems every time wehave budget issues, we cut teaching staff,’’ Carlson said.

M any positions are also occupied by aging teachers who havedelayed retirement to get the best possible benefits , she added. Butthe state - predicted increase of teaching jobs by 2012 suggests thatwill soon change, Eley said. ‘‘Those people will turn over in thenext five years, most likely,’’ he said.

A spiring teachers should meet with an adviser to determinewhich fields have the most availability, Eley said. Excludingpostsecondary positions, self - enrichment and special educationteachers should see the largest hiring increases by 2012, rangingfrom 24.2 to 32.9 percent , according to state data. Poorest outlooks

belong to middle school teachers,with only a 3.5 percent increase;vocational education teachers, withabout a 4 percent increase; andlibrarians , with a 5 percent increase.

Oh, it’s not all bad news. The lateststudy predicts a 17.3 percent increasein jobs for all educators, includingcollege professors and teacherassistants – a larger leap than in mostfields . A favorable 35 percent increaseshould appear for postsecondarypositions , particularly those whoteach philosophy and religion, law,the arts, and foreign language andliterature . Bu t teachers hiredannually in this field are significantlyfewer than elementary schoolteachers .

R inaldi hopes years of applyingand subbing won’t discourageteaching hopefuls.

‘‘A lot of school systems hire fromwithin , ’ ’ she said. ‘‘Get to knowpeople , and your chances are a lotbetter of being hired.’’

An d though her new job allowsher more time with her two youngsons , R inaldi said it has threesignificant drawbacks: no benefits, nopaid vacations and no paid summer

breaks . ‘‘If offered , definitely I would go back’’ to full - time teaching in a

public school, she said. ‘‘But I’m enjoying it right now for what it’sworth . ’ ’

S andra M. Klepach can be reached at 330 - 996 - 3746 or sklepach @ thebeaconjournal . com


20

40

60

80

100

’90 ’92 ’94 ’96 ’98 ’00 ’02 ’04

Retail sales employment tends to follow economic cycles but has produced the fourth-most new jobs in the area since 1990. Average annual pay (adjusted for inflation) has risen from $25,402 in 1990 to $28,397.


Retail and wholesale trade

Jobs in thousands

Retail sales: 34%

Materialrecording,

scheduling,dispatching

and distributing:

8%

Materialmovers:

7%Sales

representatives, wholesale and manufacturing:

6%

Supervisorsof sales workers:

5%

All other retail and wholesale trade occupations: 40%

AKRON-AREA RETAIL &

WHOLESALE TRADE EMPLOYMENT

AKRON-AREA RETAIL &

WHOLESALE TRADE EMPLOYMENT


IN DEMANDIN DEMANDRETAIL AND WHOLESALE

BUYERS

Highest-paying job in retail. Average hourly pay: $22.24. Buys merchandise after judging consumer trends, sales records, price and quality. Requires experience in a related position.

FIRST-LINE SUPERVISORS

AND MANAGERS

Supervise sales workers. May include purchasing, budgeting and accounting. Average wage: $16.31 an hour. Experience in a related position required.

CASHIERS

Receive payment for goods. Average annual openings in Akron area: 893. Average hourly wage $7.66. Requires on-the-job training.

COUNTER AND RENTAL

CLERKS

Receive orders, describe available options, compute cost and accept payment. Annual openings expected: 106. Average hourly wage: $9.66. Requires some on-the-job training.

RETAIL SALESPERSONS

Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances or clothing. Excludes cashiers. Average annual openings: 1,126. Average hourly wage: $10.30. Requires some on-the-job training.


MIKE CARDEW / A kron B eacon J ournal

P art - time instructor Annamaria Rinaldi helps student Chia Vu e, 8, learn English as a secondlanguage at Voris E lementary . R inaldi lost a full - time teaching job during budget cuts in 2004.

OUTLOOK

MIKE CARDEW / A kron B eacon J ournal

V icki S mith , produce manager, started as a part - time employee at the Mustard SeedM arket . Sh e now has job benefits that many retail employees don’t receive .

Story 4-03 g114x System AKRE by MTURNER Time 19:04:48 Date 3/28/05Color layer: BlackG 11 4X Pg. Date 4/03/05 Story: 4-03 g114x Topic: 4-03 outlook Keyword 4-03 g114x Page 1


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