When it Comes to Creating Jobs, Ohio Means Business

Originally Posted on Unleash the Monster, a Monster Government Solutions blog

On Unleash the Monster, we have talked extensively about a concept called the high-performance workforce. This concept is one in which labor statistics, training and advanced job placement programs and technologies work in unison to help attract new jobs and fill them with highly qualified individuals with unique skill sets necessary for their positions.

One of the most critical aspects of a high-performance workforce is the ability of state and local governments to take a trained workforce and place them in jobs where they can fully use their skills and abilities. Often times, this requires the right type of public-private partnerships to be effective.

A great example of these public-private partnerships has paid significant dividends in the economic development of Ohio. The program, Ohio Means Jobs, recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. It has been a driving force to attract new businesses and jobs to the State of Ohio while simultaneously helping to place recent graduates into jobs and keep highly talented and skilled professionals in state.

Ohio Means Jobs is an online job-matching tool launched on October 29, 2008 that enables employers to quickly and easily identify qualified workers and gives unemployed Ohioans an avenue to find new jobs that match their qualifications. As a joint collaboration between the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), Ohio Department of Development, the Ohio Board of Regents, Monster and Indeed.com, the Ohio Means Jobs tool was the first of its kind and is now being replicated by other states due to its undeniable success.

Since its launch, the site has featured over 80,000 full-time, part-time, contract, internship and temporary job openings and has had more than 7.6 million hits. Nearly 90,000 Ohio job seekers have used the site to add their resumes and more than 1,200 Ohio employers have registered to conduct resume searches. The site also provides job seekers with information about upcoming employment events and job fairs.

Ohio Means Jobs is instrumental in improving the state’s economy by drawing new jobs, keeping skilled employees in state and helping unemployed workers find positions. By embracing public-private partnerships like the one that helped to create Ohio Means Jobs, your region can get on the path to a high-performance workforce with a high employment rate.

What is your state doing to develop the local workforce?