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Ohio Outpaces National Job Growth Rate

Andy Chow
Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio)

May’s 20,000 new private sector jobs in Ohio mean the state is outpacing the nation in job growth rate so far this year, though the state had no measurable job growth in all of last year. But Gov. John Kasich warns that this trend will be short-lived if leaders take their eye off the ball. 

Kasich claims more than 520,000 jobs have been created since he became governor in 2011. Now that he’s preparing to leave office, he’s crediting business-friendly policies and JobsOhio, the private, not-for-profit job creating vehicle. But he again warned the candidates who want to replace him not to change it.

“If you begin to pick and tick away at JobsOhio and turn it into another government bureaucracy, if you do not involve the business leaders in terms of understanding what makes things work, if you don’t get involved in workforce development, these gains that we’ve made could be lost,” says Kasich.

One Ohio Now, a labor advocate, says Ohio still ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of job growth this year and argues that the fastest growing jobs are nearly all low-paying jobs.

Contact Andy at achow@statehousenews.org.
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