Team NEO report looks at workforce challenges for future 

by Emily Canning-Dean 

As the population ages, demographics shift and new technology emerges, employers face new challenges when it comes to developing and retaining a talented workforce. For that reason, Team NEO, the region’s economic development partner, has been releasing their annual report, Aligning Opportunities, for several years. The organization recently released its eighth annual report. The 32-page document provides insights to enhance understanding of overall workforce challenges and also explores the top 50 jobs expected to be in demand in the region by 2030. 

“I have said in the past that northeast Ohio has a great opportunity to capitalize on emerging growth opportunities, because of our embedded manufacturing assets, increasingly aligned economic development system at our state, regional and local levels and the growing emphasis on controlling our supply chains,” Team NEO CEO William Koehler wrote in the forward of the report. “As we focus on seizing this moment, we also grapple with demographic headwinds like an aging population and out-migration of college graduates. It is more urgent that ever to focus on strategies that grow a talented, inclusive pipeline for our region’s present and future workforce.” 

According to the report, job openings in the region have increased by 7% since 2016, while the number of graduates in the area has decreased by 10%. This has put pressure on employers to connect talent to unfilled positions. Changing trends caused by the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, the gig economy and remote work have also influenced modern employment patterns. 

“In this eighth edition, the general framework of the report remains consistent with previous editions,” said Jacob Duritsky, vice president of strategy and research for Team NEO. “Every year we have had a different theme. In the past, we focused on things like minority workers, women or veterans. This year we focused the future of work and jobs that will be in demand by 2030.” 

When asked if area education programs are well aligned for preparing students for jobs of the future, Duritsky said “yes and no.” 

“It’s not necessarily that our people don’t have the degrees that are in demand for the current marketplace, it’s that they don’t always know what to do with those skills,” he said. “For instance, we have no shortage of computer science programs in the area and very good ones, but we might have graduates with a computer science degree move to Boston or San Franciso when there are companies here, like Key Bank, Goodyear or Progressive, that need employees with these skills. There seems to be a disconnect there when it comes to understanding how your skills could be utilized in positions here in our region.” 

Duritsky said it was not surprising to find out that the areas of manufacturing, healthcare and IT and computer science are careers that remain in demand. But he said that due to an aging population that is close to retirement, the region is also seeing more of a demand in behavioral health and education fields as well as in service jobs, such as fire and police. 

The prevalence of AI and automation has created a shift in certain industries, but Duritsky said it has not necessarily made certain positions obsolete. 

“It’s not necessarily that any of these jobs are dying, it’s more that there is a shift in the skills needed for these jobs,” he said. “For example, where we are seeing more automation in production-type jobs, the skills are evolving where there is less of a need for manual labor and more need for computer driven or STEM knowledge.” 

Duritsky said Team NEO shares the findings from Aligning Opportunities with educational institutions across the region. He said members of Team NEO even visit area high schools to talk to faculty and guidance counselors about their findings. 

“We cast a pretty wide net so we can target a wider audience,” he said. “I think it’s important to target an even younger audience to help them to understand what they can do with their skills.” 

Duritsky said anyone can download this year’s Aligning Opportunities report by visiting northeastohioregion.com/2024- aligning-opportunities-report. 

“If anyone has any questions, we welcome them to reach out to us,” he said. “We are happy to help in any way we can.”