Help wanted in Greater Cincinnati
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland president and chief executive officer Beth M. Hammack heard about the challenges that Cincinnati-area employers face in recruiting and retaining workers.
Cleveland Fed president Beth Hammack met with Cincinnati-area business and community leaders on Tuesday, October 8, convening a roundtable discussion at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and visiting a nonprofit employment training center across the river in Newport, Kentucky.
Job growth in the Cincinnati region over the past 10 years has been strongest in transportation and warehousing, which has added more than 31,000 jobs since 2013. Healthcare and social assistance has been the next-fastest-growing sector, with almost 18,000 jobs added, according to the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s recent State of the Region report.
The Cincinnati skyline.
Roundtable participants from the private and nonprofit sectors focused on the challenges that Cincinnati-area employers face in finding and keeping skilled workers. Many noted that even as turnover is slowing and the local economy is growing, many employers are still struggling to fill vacant jobs.
From left to right: Darin Hall, Civitas CEO; Robie Suggs, CEO of Warsaw Federal and member of Cleveland Fed Community Advisory Council; Candace McGraw, CEO of CVG Airport; Kurt Reiber, CEO of the Freestore Foodbank and member of Cleveland Fed Community Advisory Council; President Hammack; Brendon Cull, CEO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and member of Cleveland Fed’s Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky Business Advisory Council; Gina McFarlane-El, CEO of Five Rivers Health Centers and member of the Cleveland Fed’s Cincinnati Branch board of directors; Alfonso Cornejo, CEO of the Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati.
Rising healthcare and housing costs are among the biggest issues for workers, roundtable participants said. Meanwhile, the Freestore Foodbank is now serving 850 families a day across two locations, an increase that suggests the growing economy isn’t benefiting all the region’s households.
To find out more about how Cincinnati-area social service providers are faring in this environment, President Hammack visited the nonprofit Brighton Center in Newport, Kentucky. Brighton looks holistically at the challenges that workers face in participating in the economy.
Brighton’s Center for Employment Training (CET) is a program that focuses on teaching students the hands-on skills they will need to work in healthcare, payroll, data entry, and other fields. Meanwhile, Brighton also provides one-stop shopping for childcare, housing, and food support. These wrap-around services help to ensure that there are no additional barriers to participating in the labor force. According to data from Brighton, 132 individuals enrolled in the CET last year. Ninety-three percent of graduates who obtained employment maintained their employment for 12 months, with an average wage gain of $15,454.1
President Hammack (right) asks a question of Jonika Greene (left), Brighton workforce development assistant director, and Tammy Liles (center), medical assisting skills instructor, at Brighton’s Center for Employment Training.
Brighton Center staff and Cleveland Fed visitors. From left to right: Robert Brinkley, Cleveland Fed; Tammy Liles, medical assisting skills instructor; Jonika Greene, Brighton workforce development assistant director; Stephanie Stiene, housing development director of Brighton Properties; Wonda Winkler, Brighton Center president and CEO; President Hammack; Nariman Mansour, Cleveland Fed; Theresa Polachek, Cleveland Fed; Emily Garr Pacetti, Cleveland Fed.
About President Beth M. Hammack’s Around the District tour
President Hammack is visiting communities across the Fourth District as part of her Around the District tour to meet and connect with the people who live and work in all corners of the region and to gain a better understanding of how the economy is working in different communities. The Cleveland Fed, with branches in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, serves an area that comprises Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. Hammack will use this information to inform her policy views and better represent the Fourth District around the Federal Open Market Committee table.
Footnotes
- Brighton Center, Center for Employment Training. Brightoncenter.com/programs/employment_services/center-for-employment-training. Accessed October 15, 2024. Return to 1
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Learn about the work of the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
Beth M. Hammack
Beth M. Hammack is the president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, one of 12 regional Reserve Banks in the Federal Reserve System.
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The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland (commonly known as the Cleveland Fed) is part of the Federal Reserve System, the central bank of the United States.