COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Nearly 5,100 government jobs have disappeared in the Columbus area, including 997 that were directly tied to the state government. Who added the most new workers between March 2001-March 2007? The Ohio State University Medical Center was No. 1. with 3,742 additional jobs, and Wal-Mart was No. 2, with 2,499. Cincinnati-based Kroger Co., the grocery chain that competes with Wal-Mart, cut 1,682 workers.
An economic study published today by the Columbus Chamber of Commerce shows that four of the metro area's largest employers are now health care organizations. It shows Wal-Mart is responsible for a huge chunk of the region's employment gain. Of the 7,500 new jobs added in the 8-county Central Ohio area, the discount retailer was responsible for 1/3 of the total.
The complete text of the chamber study is available here (pdf). And without hospitals or Wal-Mart, the data shows Columbus would have a pretty grim job market:
"In total, the health care industry, which includes social services, records a net employment grown of 16,500 new jobs between February 2001 and December 2007, which represents a net grown of 20.7 percent in health care specifically. But comparison, regional employment was only up 1.3 percent over that same period."
Top 20 employers who shaved workers: AT&T down 100; City of Columbus down 262; State of Ohio down 997; Columbus Public Schools down ,1389; U.S. Government down 1,500; OSU non-medical 1,912.
There have been a few other bright spots in addition to health care. The region has added nearly 16,000 jobs in business and financial services since 2002 and the transportation and logistics cluster has grown by 22 percent in the last five years. The more concerning trend to me has to do with workforce opportunities. Three out of the top five fastest growing occupations in the region during 2002-07 offered median wages of less than $12 per hour.
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