Northeast Ohio economy shows growth, but pace lags behind rest of state, nation (video)

By JEREMY NOBILE

Originally Published: April 06, 2015 1:29 PM  Modified: April 06, 2015 11:27 PM

 

While the Northeast Ohio economy continues to expand, the pace of growth is lagging behind the rate seen overall in Ohio and across the country, according to research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland .

 

The latest data that show Greater Cleveland’s economy continues to grow with GDP per capita, wages, housing prices, building permits and employment all rising while unemployment fell sharply, but the growth is slower than what’s been seen in recent years, especially in employment, GDP and income.

 

The Cleveland area’s unemployment rate declined from 7.5% in December 2013 to 5.9% in December 2014.

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150406/FREE/150409917/northeast-ohio-economy-shows-growth-but-pace-lags-behind-rest-of

The City got a mixed result on the 'jock tax' appeal.  The Ohio Supreme Court ruled it can properly tax non-residents for the time actually worked in Cleveland, but the 'games played' method the City was using to determine the proper amount to tax was found to be in violation of due process.  The City will have to pay back income wrongfully taxed with interest.  This could have a huge impact depending on how many players seek reimbursement.

The City got a mixed result on the 'jock tax' appeal.  The Ohio Supreme Court ruled it can properly tax non-residents for the time actually worked in Cleveland, but the 'games played' method the City was using to determine the proper amount to tax was found to be in violation of due process.  The City will have to pay back income wrongfully taxed with interest.  This could have a huge impact depending on how many players seek reimbursement.

 

I hope a bunch of them do.  I have never understood these taxes and how cities and states can single out athletes and entertainers. 

 

from above,

 

Northeast Ohio economy shows growth' date=' but pace lags behind rest of state, nation[/quote']

 

We're losing jobs in heath/education?

 

see graphic. from https://www.clevelandfed.org/Newsroom%20and%20Events/Publications/Metro%20Mix/Cleveland%202015q2.aspx?utm_source=MediaPitch&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MetroMix2015Q2CinciClev

 

 

Finally, a Cleveland company is buying a non-Cleveland company, not the other way around...

 

TransDigm to purchase aerospace business for $496 million

By CRAIN'S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

May 01, 2015 8:14 AM

 

Aircraft components maker TransDigm Group Inc. (NYSE: TDG) of Cleveland has agreed to buy the aerospace business of Pexco LLC for nearly half a billion dollars.

 

TransDigm said the $496 million purchase price for Pexco Aerospace, a portfolio company of Odyssey Investment Partners LLC, includes about $160 million of tax benefits to be realized over a 15-year period beginning in 2015. TransDigm expects to finance the acquisition “primarily through a combination of cash on hand, existing availability under our revolving credit facility and new debt,” the company said in a news release announcing the deal.

 

Pexco Aerospace makes extruded plastic interior parts for use in the commercial aerospace industry. TransDigm did not disclose Pexco Aerospace’s annual sales but said “nearly all revenue comes from the commercial transport market.” The company employs about 300 people in Yakima, Wash., and Huntington Beach, Calif.

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150501/FREE/150509990/transdigm-to-purchase-aerospace-business-for-496-million

Didn't Ferro just buy another company too?

No need to stop there.  Here's another, albeit smaller and overseas.

 

Ferro Corp. to acquire Spanish company Nubiola Pigmentos

 

Ferro has been acquiring companies in recent months. In February, Ferro bought TherMark Holdings Inc.. And last September, the company announced plans to acquire Vetriceramici S.p.A., which closed in December.

 

Ferro is actively working to grow, the release said, noting that the company “is seeking to expand sales in emerging markets, accelerate product development efforts, and acquire businesses that build upon its leading market positions in glass-based coatings and color solutions.”

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150430/FREE/150429802/ferro-corp-to-acquire-spanish-company-nubiola-pigmentos

The City got a mixed result on the 'jock tax' appeal.  The Ohio Supreme Court ruled it can properly tax non-residents for the time actually worked in Cleveland, but the 'games played' method the City was using to determine the proper amount to tax was found to be in violation of due process.  The City will have to pay back income wrongfully taxed with interest.  This could have a huge impact depending on how many players seek reimbursement.

 

I hope a bunch of them do.  I have never understood these taxes and how cities and states can single out athletes and entertainers. 

 

Because they can't vote....

I haven't read through all of this but it looks excellent.  It compares Cleveland & Pittsburgh and outlines some of the issues and opportunities associated with transitioning from a manufacturing to knowledge based economy.  Also, Richie Piiparinen's work is pretty cool because it takes a historical look at economic cycles instead of 95% of  economic and urban planning "researchers" who proclaim: "this place is good and that place is bad."

 

FROM METAL TO MINDS: ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING IN THE RUST BELT

http://ceosforcitiesworkshop.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/From-Metals-to-Minds.pdf

Not a good sign for future economic and population growth for NE Ohio......

 

Scott Suttell ‏@ssuttell  16m16 minutes ago

#Cleveland ranks pretty low in 2015 startup activity, @KauffmanFDN report finds.

http://www.kauffman.org/microsites/kauffman-index/rankings/metropolitan-area …

 

The company has added several hundred jobs at its Westlake headquarters where they seem content to stay....

 

Hyland Software to receive nearly $900 million in capital along with ownership shift

June 05, 2015 UPDATED 17 HOURS AGO

By CHUCK SODER   

 

Hyland Software is about to receive nearly $900 million in fresh capital — and, technically, a new owner.

 

The private equity firm that controls Hyland plans to invest another $715 million into the company, and they’re pushing it to take on another $180 million in debt — increasing its debt load to record levels, according to documents from two credit ratings agencies.

 

In the process, Hyland on paper will get a new owner: Thoma Bravo plans to move the company out of an old fund and into a new one.

 

That could be a sign that Thoma Bravo wants to hold onto the Westlake-based company — which makes an enterprise content management software product called OnBase — for the foreseeable future.

 

The bad news: Because of added debt, Moody’s downgraded Hyland’s credit rating to B3 from B2.

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150605/NEWS/150609826/hyland-software-to-receive-nearly-900-million-in-capital-along-with

This business proposing on some neighborhood space I cannot discuss...but here is there story.  They are currently here and are located on Carnegie, but I know they want a better place to settle.  The entire thing makes me very happy.  The newly establish route of shipping between Cleveland and Europe has lured a company away from San Francisco to call Cleveland their North American headquarters.  Hopefully others can follow suit.  This company certainly practices what they preach:

 

"Retap was established in Denmark in 2011 by two young business men whose goal was and is to reduce the effects that plastic water bottles have on the world’s environment.

 

They began this effort in Europe and contacted us to manage their business for them in North America.

 

The bottles are manufactured in the EU , so in the spirit of maintaining  as much environmental control as possible, Jennifer  Fay and her husband, Bill Mitchell relocated to Cleveland from San Francisco primarily for three reasons:

 

a. reduce fuel by shipping from Europe to Cleveland rather than to California

b. The Cleveland Port Authority and their service and connection directly with the port of Antwerp in Belgium

c. It is more efficient to ship to retailers in the US from a more centrally located region

 

The business plan is simple. Our goal is to educate consumers to cease using plastic one use water bottles and replacing them with a re-usable water bottle and a glass one because water tastes better in a glass vessel.

 

The strategy is to sell to retailers throughout the US, Canada and Mexico beginning with the better/higher end retail trade including e-traders like Amazon, The Grommet, etc.

 

We know that the re-usable water bottle business is approximately  $1 billion at retail which equates to $500MM at wholesale. We also know that much of this business has been done with plastic bottles, but believe that either stainless steel or glass offer a better solution. Stainless steel is heavy ,but glass, particularly borosilicate glass (the material from which the Retap bottles are made), are light weight, stronger than regular glass and provides the safest, and best tasting water.

 

Our plan is to educate the consumer by attending trade shows, utilizing social media, trade advertising, etc.

 

We have already been selling many retailers all over the US . The business is growing, hence the need for some additional space and staff. We are now a staff of three and hope that by year end will have 4-5 as part of our team."

 

This business proposing on some neighborhood space I cannot discuss...but here is there story.  They are currently here and are located on Carnegie, but I know they want a better place to settle.  The entire thing makes me very happy.  The newly establish route of shipping between Cleveland and Europe has lured a company away from San Francisco to call Cleveland their North American headquarters.  Hopefully others can follow suit.  This company certainly practices what they preach:

 

"Retap was established in Denmark in 2011 by two young business men whose goal was and is to reduce the effects that plastic water bottles have on the world’s environment.

 

They began this effort in Europe and contacted us to manage their business for them in North America.

 

The bottles are manufactured in the EU , so in the spirit of maintaining  as much environmental control as possible, Jennifer  Fay and her husband, Bill Mitchell relocated to Cleveland from San Francisco primarily for three reasons:

 

a. reduce fuel by shipping from Europe to Cleveland rather than to California

b. The Cleveland Port Authority and their service and connection directly with the port of Antwerp in Belgium

c. It is more efficient to ship to retailers in the US from a more centrally located region

 

The business plan is simple. Our goal is to educate consumers to cease using plastic one use water bottles and replacing them with a re-usable water bottle and a glass one because water tastes better in a glass vessel.

 

The strategy is to sell to retailers throughout the US, Canada and Mexico beginning with the better/higher end retail trade including e-traders like Amazon, The Grommet, etc.

 

We know that the re-usable water bottle business is approximately  $1 billion at retail which equates to $500MM at wholesale. We also know that much of this business has been done with plastic bottles, but believe that either stainless steel or glass offer a better solution. Stainless steel is heavy ,but glass, particularly borosilicate glass (the material from which the Retap bottles are made), are light weight, stronger than regular glass and provides the safest, and best tasting water.

 

Our plan is to educate the consumer by attending trade shows, utilizing social media, trade advertising, etc.

 

We have already been selling many retailers all over the US . The business is growing, hence the need for some additional space and staff. We are now a staff of three and hope that by year end will have 4-5 as part of our team."

 

 

This is very interesting, but was there a link. Or did some sentences get omitted? It seems the post starts mid conversation.

The article was posted in the port of the Cleveland thread, over in the transportation section.

This business proposing on some neighborhood space I cannot discuss...but here is there story.  They are currently here and are located on Carnegie, but I know they want a better place to settle.  The entire thing makes me very happy.  The newly establish route of shipping between Cleveland and Europe has lured a company away from San Francisco to call Cleveland their North American headquarters.  Hopefully others can follow suit.  This company certainly practices what they preach:

 

"Retap was established in Denmark in 2011 by two young business men whose goal was and is to reduce the effects that plastic water bottles have on the world’s environment.

 

They began this effort in Europe and contacted us to manage their business for them in North America.

 

The bottles are manufactured in the EU , so in the spirit of maintaining  as much environmental control as possible, Jennifer  Fay and her husband, Bill Mitchell relocated to Cleveland from San Francisco primarily for three reasons:

 

a. reduce fuel by shipping from Europe to Cleveland rather than to California

b. The Cleveland Port Authority and their service and connection directly with the port of Antwerp in Belgium

c. It is more efficient to ship to retailers in the US from a more centrally located region

 

The business plan is simple. Our goal is to educate consumers to cease using plastic one use water bottles and replacing them with a re-usable water bottle and a glass one because water tastes better in a glass vessel.

 

The strategy is to sell to retailers throughout the US, Canada and Mexico beginning with the better/higher end retail trade including e-traders like Amazon, The Grommet, etc.

 

We know that the re-usable water bottle business is approximately  $1 billion at retail which equates to $500MM at wholesale. We also know that much of this business has been done with plastic bottles, but believe that either stainless steel or glass offer a better solution. Stainless steel is heavy ,but glass, particularly borosilicate glass (the material from which the Retap bottles are made), are light weight, stronger than regular glass and provides the safest, and best tasting water.

 

Our plan is to educate the consumer by attending trade shows, utilizing social media, trade advertising, etc.

 

We have already been selling many retailers all over the US . The business is growing, hence the need for some additional space and staff. We are now a staff of three and hope that by year end will have 4-5 as part of our team."

 

 

This is very interesting, but was there a link. Or did some sentences get omitted? It seems the post starts mid conversation.

 

This is something the company prepared for their application for space. I didn't omit anything, just a little history about themselves.

Cleveland ranks among healthiest housing markets in latest Nationwide report

June 23, 2015

By CRAIN'S CLEVELAND BUSINESS

 

A new report by Columbus-based insurance giant Nationwide contends that most U.S. housing markets are healthy — and Cleveland is among the healthiest of them all.

 

The Health of Housing Markets Report for the second quarter of 2015 evaluates the housing for 400 metropolitan areas and includes what Nationwide calls a “national leading indicator score.” The score for this quarter’s report “is a very positive 109.4, a slight decrease from last quarter’s record level of 109.8,” Nationwide says.

 

An index value over 100 suggests the national housing market is healthy, with lower chances of a housing downturn over the next year.

 

Among the report’s highlights:

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150623/NEWS/150629952/cleveland-ranks-among-healthiest-housing-markets-in-latest-nationwide

People are going to Love this.....  For a change.

 

J.M. Smucker bringing 100-plus Big Heart Pet Brands jobs to Ohio from Pittsburgh

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- J.M. Smucker's March 23 acquisition of Big Heart Pet Brands, the California company whose popular pet foods and pet snacks include Meow Mix, Milk-Bone, Kibbles 'n Bits, and 9Lives, will bring more than 100 jobs to Ohio from its Pittsburgh offices.

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/06/jm_smucker_bringing_100-plus_b.html#incart_river

 

 

 

^Good news indeed.

 

from the article:

 

The acquired company was based in San Francisco. "The company has nearly 2,500 employees at offices in San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Burbank, California." 

 

They should move the remaining SF jobs here too.

Ahhh... if only the jobs were being moved to open up a Cleveland office for the company instead of going way out in Wayne County... if only...

Still good news for that area though!

Ahhh... if only the jobs were being moved to open up a Cleveland office for the company instead of going way out in Wayne County... if only...

Still good news for that area though!

 

It's Smuckers.  For them to move anywhere but Orrville would be a shame bordering on tragedy.

I do wonder if they'll ever feel pressured to move some of their offices into (or close to) the city. Younger generations simply don't like working in campuses way out in the boonies, and it's a trend that doesn't show any sign of reversing. But on the other hand, I know they are very tied to Orville, and the town pretty much entirely depends on them. I'd imagine they'd always keep their HQ there, but maybe they'd be willing to move some other offices into Cleveland.

I do wonder if they'll ever feel pressured to move some of their offices into (or close to) the city. Younger generations simply don't like working in campuses way out in the boonies, and it's a trend that doesn't show any sign of reversing. But on the other hand, I know they are very tied to Orville, and the town pretty much entirely depends on them. I'd imagine they'd always keep their HQ there, but maybe they'd be willing to move some other offices into Cleveland.

 

Yeah, they are sort of like Walmart is to Bentonville.  It's a part of their corporate culture and not going to change anytime soon.

Driving around today I am amazed at how much construction is going on. 

 

All these people building things, resurfacing roads, erecting buildings has got to be giving Cleveland a good shot in the arm, certainly eclipsing the 1990's Cleveland uptick!

 

Last night at Crocker Park I even thought I saw a Buffalo-based construction firm building the hotel there...are we officially out of construction contractors in this region?

 

Driving around today I am amazed at how much construction is going on. 

 

All these people building things, resurfacing roads, erecting buildings has got to be giving Cleveland a good shot in the arm, certainly eclipsing the 1990's Cleveland uptick!

 

Last night at Crocker Park I even thought I saw a Buffalo-based construction firm building the hotel there...are we officially out of construction contractors in this region?

 

 

Last year, a construction trades association ranked Greater Cleveland as having the 9th-most new construction jobs in the nation. I wonder how we rank this year??

 

Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor MSA ranks ninth nationwide in number of new construction jobs

July 30, 2014 UPDATED 8/4/2014

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140730/FREE/140739972/cleveland-elyria-mentor-msa-ranks-ninth-nationwide-in-number-of-new

^It's good news, for sure, but the headline is more than a bit misleading. The area ranked 9th in the percentage increase in construction jobs.  I guarantee you it was nowhere close to 9th in the number of new construction jobs.

 

EDIT: Actually, I'm totally wrong. The headline is accurate.  The region was 13th in the percentage increase, but really was 9th in the increase in absolute numbers, which is amazing. My "guarantee" ain't worth much, apparently.

The percentage increase was only 13th-best in the nation. The actual number of new jobs ranked it 9th-most in the nation:

 

AGC uses U.S. Census Bureau data to produce a ranking of growth in construction jobs by percentage, and the 15% increase in the Cleveland MSA put the region 13th out of 339 metro areas across the country. The Cleveland MSA had 41,000 people working in construction in June from 35,700 in June 2013. AGC noted the gain of 5,300 new construction jobs was surpassed by only eight other of the country’s 339 metro areas.

Last night at Crocker Park I even thought I saw a Buffalo-based construction firm building the hotel there...are we officially out of construction contractors in this region?

 

 

Having people here to do a job isn't always the deciding factor. As with anything else, jobs have to be bid on, and sometimes people select based on who is the lowest price. Not closest, not with the best equipment, but cheapest. IF they are in the "region" and can get the machines needed on the dates they are needed, they win on price.

If somebody posted this story already in another forum (I couldn't find it in sports), I apologize. It's pretty scathing--

 

Sports Owners Dip Into the Public’s Purse, Despite Their Billions in the Bank

JULY 21, 2015

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/22/sports/sports-owners-dip-into-the-publics-purse-despite-their-billions-in-the-bank.html

Progressive Insurance to hire nearly 400 in Cleveland

Courtney Danser

8:20 AM, Jul 28, 2015

 

CLEVELAND - Progressive Insurance is planning to hire nearly 400 in Cleveland by 2016.

 

The company is looking to fill 384 claims adjusters and sales representatives.

 

Interested persons can apply now through the beginning of 2016.

 

MORE:

http://www.newsnet5.com/money/business-news/progressive-insurance-to-hire-nearly-400-in-cleveland

Ratner: City being built on ‘eds and meds’

Posted: Friday, July 31, 2015 11:00 am | Updated: 11:07 am, Fri Jul 31, 2015.

JACQUELINE MITCHELL | STAFF REPORTER

[email protected]

 

During the first Cleveland Development Summit June 12, Albert Ratner, co-chairman emeritus of Forest City Enterprises, urged attendees to embrace Cleveland and change it for the better as he read from the following poem, penned by an anonymous author, titled “Your Town”:

 

“If you want to live in the kind of a town like the kind of a town you like, you needn’t slip your clothes in a grip and start on a long, long hike. You’ll only find what you left behind, for there’s nothing that’s really new. It’s a knock at yourself when you knock your town. It isn’t the town – it’s you.”

 

Ratner served as the keynote speaker at the Jewish networking event, a project of Chabad Young Cleveland held in the English Oak Room at Tower City Center in Cleveland. The event also featured a panel of well-known players in the development industry.

 

MORE:

http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/features/real_estate/ratner-city-being-built-on-eds-and-meds/article_e1c0ad84-3537-11e5-8ad8-cb56aeea6aff.html

Yes it could be!! Could Cleveland Be The 'Valley' Of The Midwest?  America's New Hub For Entrepreneurs http://t.co/hlQAJJL5OQ via @forbes

Punch Bowl Social hiring 200 in Cleveland

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Punch Bowl Social, a new attraction dubbed an "eatertainment" experience in the Flats East Bank area is hiring.

 

The restaurant/entertainment center, which includes a 4,000-square-foot rooftop deck that looks out onto Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River and boasts a diner-style fare, craft beers and cocktails served in punch bowls for sharing, is hosting job fair next week from Monday through Thursday in hopes of hiring 200 workers immediately.

 

Qualified candidates will be considered for the following positions: bartenders, bar backs, servers, cocktail servers, server assistants, hosts/hostesses, door hosts, activities hosts, line cooks (both shifts), prep cooks and dishwashers.

 

The job fair will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the Aloft Hotel, 1111 W. 10th St.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/08/punch_bowl_social_hiring_200_c.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Trying to put a happy face on a bloodletting since 2000....

 

Team NEO reports jump in white-collar jobs

August 16, 2015

By JAY MILLER

 

Since 2000, Northeast Ohio has lost jobs. The current total of 1.92 million jobs in the 18-county region is 8% below the number of people employed in 2000. Team NEO calculates that's a loss of about 170,000 jobs.

 

The region also is home to fewer Fortune 1000 companies, as firms like National City Corp., TRW Inc. and OfficeMax Inc. have departed either by merger or sale. The region had 25 companies on the list in 2000, but that number now is down to 20.

 

Despite all that, employment in the whitest of white-collar jobs has been growing significantly. According to the quarterly economic review released Sunday, Aug. 16, by Team Northeast Ohio, employment in the region at corporate and divisional headquarters and the professional services firms that serve them has grown in the last 15 years by nearly 21,000 jobs, to 137,000 workers, a surprising 18.2% increase.

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150816/NEWS/308169984/team-neo-reports-jump-in-white-collar-jobs

Cleveland's next boom: Office space

 

http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/devnews/officeboom081715.aspx

 

Positive article about office space but also this quote:

 

"The vacancy rate for apartments in city of Cleveland is lower than Chicago, Brooklyn and Los Angeles. That's not a joke. It's harder to get an apartment in Cleveland than those three places."

The census bureau just released updated Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) data, which matches employee location and worker residence to the census block level. [This is the data RTA and other transit agencies use to forecast ridership for possible services.]  http://lehd.ces.census.gov/applications/help/onthemap.html#!major_enhancements

 

Here's a snapshot of downtown Cleveland jobs (all jobs, public and private sector, primary and other jobs), defining "downtown" as east of the Cuyahoga, inside the Innerbelt, plus Tri-C and St. Vincent's.

 

2013: 96,993

2007: 107,655

2002: 116,947

 

Those numbers include employment in "public administration" which has declined significantly over that period (by about 2,500 workers; roughly proportional to the overall drop).

 

Interestingly, the age of downtown employees as also been skewing older. Despite the buzz over start ups and millennials, the share of downtown employees who are 29 and younger has dropped from 20.4% in 2002 to 16.8%.

 

EDIT: the good news is that downtown employment appears to have bottomed out in 2010 at about 94K, and grew (albeit very modestly) in 2011, 2012, and 2013, so it's at least moving in the right direction as the overall economy has recovered.

 

The census bureau just released updated Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) data, which matches employee location and worker residence to the census block level. [This is the data RTA and other transit agencies use to forecast ridership for possible services.]  http://lehd.ces.census.gov/applications/help/onthemap.html#!major_enhancements

 

Here's a snapshot of downtown Cleveland jobs (all jobs, public and private sector, primary and other jobs), defining "downtown" as east of the Cuyahoga, inside the Innerbelt, plus Tri-C and St. Vincent's.

 

2013: 96,993

2007: 107,655

2002: 116,947

 

Those numbers include employment in "public administration" which has declined significantly over that period (by about 2,500 workers; roughly proportional to the overall drop).

 

Interestingly, the age of downtown employees as also been skewing older. Despite the buzz over start ups and millennials, the share of downtown employees who are 29 and younger has dropped from 20.4% in 2002 to 16.8%.

 

EDIT: the good news is that downtown employment appears to have bottomed out in 2010 at about 94K, and grew (albeit very modestly) in 2011, 2012, and 2013, so it's at least moving in the right direction as the overall economy has recovered.

 

 

The link went to some software documentation so I did not get a chance to look at their definitions.  But here's ways this decline could be overstated.

 

1) Not counting custodial/maintenance people who work for an agency that pays them out of the suburbs.

 

2) Not counting people who spend part of their time telecommuting, working out of suburban offices, or calling on customers.

 

3)  Previously having counted people who worked for agencies paid out of downtown.

That's disgusting. I just saw some data (probably from the same source) that employment in "Center City Chicago" was up 80,000 jobs. The number was much larger for New York City south of 20th street if I remember right. But the big growth cited for Lower Manhattan was compared with 2003, which was right after the devastation of 9-11.

^^For sure, I reported the raw totals, but didn't mean to convey a misleading sense of precision. Just to be clear, these aren't estimates, like other census products, they are actual counts based on unemployment insurance and other administrative data provided (voluntarily) by the state of Ohio as part of a research partnership. 

 

They do purport to show the work location of employees, not just the location of the employer's HQ, or some other worthless proxy, but yes, that location info probably won't be meaningful for employees who work "off-site," like contractors and temps, and they may be missing sole proprietors and some other classes of workers, not sure.  These numbers do probably give an indication of broader trends, though.

^^For sure, I reported the raw totals, but didn't mean to convey a misleading sense of precision. Just to be clear, these aren't estimates, like other census products, they are actual counts based on unemployment insurance and other administrative data provided (voluntarily) by the state of Ohio as part of a research partnership. 

 

They do purport to show the work location of employees, not just the location of the employer's HQ, or some other worthless proxy, but yes, that location info probably won't be meaningful for employees who work "off-site," like contractors and temps, and they may be missing sole proprietors and some other classes of workers, not sure.  These numbers do probably give an indication of broader trends, though.

 

True, but one of the trends may be the outsourcing of support personnel.  I know that a lot of the recruiters have bailed out of downtown, and I have heard some of the agencies have too.

 

Statistics are so easy to play with, it's always good to look at least one level below the information that is featured.

Want to build your business? Move to #Cleveland! Thanks @rentquo for the blog: http://t.co/X3EB4apZco #ThisisCle #CLE http://t.co/8qebq6jkek

 

I keep hoping to see jobs pick up around here....

 

ACE Report shows Cleveland-Akron area job figures dip again in July

August 28, 2015 UPDATED 20 HOURS AGO

By JAY MILLER

 

Employment in Northeast Ohio slipped another tick in July, as the region lost 3,495 jobs, or 0.3% of its total, since June. But the July job count, in the latest Ahola Crain’s Employment (ACE) Report, is still 9,128 higher than it was in July 2014, a humble 0.8% gain.

 

Cleveland Heights economist Jack Kleinhenz, who created the ACE model, believes the numbers suggest that employment in the seven-county Cleveland-Akron metropolitan area has hit a temporary plateau, in part because of weak consumer spending.

 

“It is unclear and somewhat perplexing nationwide why, despite improving consumer fundamentals this year, a sustained pace of stronger spending consumer has not occurred,” Kleinhenz reported. “While demand has strengthened for selected manufacturing industries — auto and construction — it has been weak in general and more of the same is expected as firms experience more competition in part due to the stronger dollar, the recent devaluation of the Chinese yuan, lower crude oil prices and sluggish global growth,” Kleinhenz said.

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150828/NEWS/150829801/ace-report-shows-cleveland-akron-area-job-figures-dip-again-in-july

 

The Comeback Of The Great Lakes States

 

Joel Kotkin

 

For generations the broad swath of America along the Great Lakes has been regarded as something of a backwater. Educated workers and sophisticated industries have tended to gather in the Northeast and on the West Coast, bringing with them strong economic growth.

 

Yet increasingly these perceptions are outdated. The energy hotbeds of Texas, Oklahoma and North Dakota may have posted the strongest employment growth since 2007, and were among the first states to gain back all the jobs lost in the recession. But a group of less heralded places from Minnesota to western Pennsylvania have also enjoyed a considerable revival, as energy, manufacturing, logistics and other basic industries have rebounded.

 

Every Great Lakes state except for Illinois now has an unemployment rate below the national average, a stunning reversal from previous decades...

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2015/09/03/the-comeback-of-the-great-lakes-states/

Huge!

 

Pitt Ohio to bring more than 200 jobs, $7 million payroll to Parma

 

PARMA, Ohio – Pitt Ohio plans to build a 23-acre complex that will eventually bring 240 jobs to Parma, which city officials are calling the largest job-creation project in a decade.

 

"Any time you have a great company like Pitt Ohio wanting to locate in your city you want to partner with them on projects of this magnitude and that's what we've done," Mayor Tim DeGeeter said. "With additional jobs that obviously means additional tax base for us, and that's so important."

 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/parma/index.ssf/2015/09/pitt_ohio_to_bring_more_than_2.html#incart_river

Huge!

 

Pitt Ohio to bring more than 200 jobs, $7 million payroll to Parma

 

PARMA, Ohio – Pitt Ohio plans to build a 23-acre complex that will eventually bring 240 jobs to Parma, which city officials are calling the largest job-creation project in a decade.

 

"Any time you have a great company like Pitt Ohio wanting to locate in your city you want to partner with them on projects of this magnitude and that's what we've done," Mayor Tim DeGeeter said. "With additional jobs that obviously means additional tax base for us, and that's so important."

 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/parma/index.ssf/2015/09/pitt_ohio_to_bring_more_than_2.html#incart_river

 

Ha, beat you to it -- already posted in the Parma development thread! ;)

The BLS preliminary report for July lists the region as having over 1 million employed for the second time since 2008.  The first time was in July of last year.

 

http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.oh_cleveland_msa.htm

Great news--and the biggest month-to-month jump thus far in 2015---1.9%. So even with a downward revision, we may still be over 1M.

Northeast Ohio fiber optic network attracts $50 million investment http://t.co/58fQZbWSPr

Compliant Healthcare Technologies headquarters moves to Middleburg Heights from Holly Springs outside Raleigh, N.C.

http://www.cleveland.com/middleburg-heights/index.ssf/2015/09/compliant_healthcare_technologies_headquarters_moves_to_middleburg_heights_photos.html

When we talk about native Clevelanders boomeranging back, THIS is what we need more of! Bring jobs back with them!  :-D

Acute shortage of skilled workers in Northeast Ohio is looming: Mark Rantala (Opinion)

By Guest Columnist/cleveland.com

on September 06, 2015 at 3:35 PM

 

A perfect storm is facing Northeast Ohio employers. The baby boomers are retiring, leaving huge gaps in the skilled trades and managerial ranks. A void that is already becoming a challenge for the advanced manufacturing community -- one of the region's driver industries -- will only get more critical in the next 10 years.

 

In 10 years, 75 percent of the workforce will be millennials. But the ranks of those entering the workforce in Northeast Ohio are insufficient to fill the gaps the baby-boom retirements are creating.

 

In Lake County alone, we estimate that by 2025, we will be 4,000 to 8,000 workers short to fill the positions that currently exist, much less be able to provide sufficient workers to grow the economy.

 

MORE:

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/09/a_perfect_storm_brewing_for_oh.html