Background and Summary
In partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Service’s (JFS) Bureau of Labor Market Information collects and analyzes industry, occupational and employment information.
The Bureau of Labor Market Information produces various routine and ad hoc reports such as industry cluster reports, employment projection reports, and quarterly and annual Ohio Shale reports, which provide snapshots of economic trends in Ohio’s oil and gas industries. It also provides the labor market statistics and employment projections used to help identify Ohio’s in-demand jobs.
To provide greater access to this critical data, the JFS Bureau of Labor Market Information displays this information on their website in a series of views and reports. This data is used extensively by local employment professionals, other state agencies, industry and media organizations, and private citizens, who rely on the bureau’s reporting, analysis and expertise.
Data Used in the Analysis
The Ohio Labor Market Information site allows visitors to select from multiple reports, visuals, and even includes the capabilities for users to build their own customized Data Search report. Reports and views include: statewide and local current and historical labor force statistics, statewide and local industry and wage statistics and statewide and local employment and wage statistics.
In order to create the reports featured on the Ohio Labor Market Information site, data is pulled from five programs: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), Current Employment Statistics (CES), and Employment Projections (PROJ).
The QCEW program collects industry employment and wage information on approximately 290,000 business establishments covered by Ohio and federal unemployment insurance laws. The OES program collects data on wage and salary workers from a sample of nonfarm business establishments to produce employment and wage estimates for approximately 800 occupations. The LAUS program produces monthly and annual average estimates of the number of people in the labor force, the number of people employed, the number of people unemployed, and the unemployment rate in Ohio’s MSAs, counties, cities with populations of 25,000 or more and the state as a whole. The CES program produces monthly estimates of industry employment, hours and earnings for Ohio and its 12 MSAs. The PROJ section uses a variety of inputs to produce industry and occupational employment projections and staffing patterns.
Providing Labor Market information to Ohio’s businesses and citizens
By allowing a series of labor-related reports to be easily accessible, more Ohio business and Ohioans are able to understand the labor market. Labor Market Information can help businesses make sound decisions and recruit qualified workers, assist in economic analysis and forecasting, and allow state leaders and business to easily see workforce and labor trends. Ohio citizens are better able to understand career opportunities, trends and average wages based on career path.
