Skills Gap – Ohio: Manufacturers need qualified workers

The No. 1 issue facing manufacturers in Ohio is the difficulty finding qualified skilled workers to meet the needs of the industry in the state, according to sources at the Manufacturing and Distribution Update held June 27 at The Pinnacle in Maumee by Gilmore, Jasion & Mahler Ltd. (GJM).

Staff members from GJM learned about the continuing need for skilled workers while meeting with about 20 manufacturers in Northwest Ohio this year, reported Charles Heid, lead tax partner for the Manufacturing Specialist Group at GJM.

“We continue to hear that wherever we go in Ohio,” said Ryan Augsburger, managing director of public policy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA), who spoke to an audience of about 120 people at the update.

The continuing problem of finding qualified workers for manufacturers is the No. 1 issue facing that industry, according to Gary Thompson, vice president and director of JobsOhio for the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP).

From left, Ryan Augsburger of the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, Charles Heid and Kevin Gilmore of Gilmore, Jasion & Mahler Ltd., and Gary Thompson of Regional Growth Partnership at the Manufacturing & Distribution Update. TOLEDO FREE PRESS PHOTO BY DUANE RAMSEY

Mike Mulholland, chief operating officer of the Freeman Co. in Fremont, said “it’s a continuing struggle” to find qualified skilled workers for the tool-and-die business with 58 employees. He said the company has faced a need for 10 to 15 new workers over the past two years…

via Ohio manufacturers need qualified skilled workers | Toledo Newspaper.