Job Picture Flips, Some Columbus Employers See Too Few Applicants

As Honda idles some workers for lack of automotive parts, other Central Ohio manufacturers are using aggressive recruiting to fill job slots. Columbus' jobless rate has fallen to 4% just as job openings accelerate in a couple of industries. One of Columbus' oldest manufacturers is now scrambling to find workers. Columbus Castings executive Brett Holst says the market for the company's products is strong. "We're actually hiring right now. We're looking to add at least another 250 people to our payroll," says Holst. Holst and other area manufacturers are recruiting potential workers as the pool of available workers shrinks. Bureau of Labor statistics show Columbus' jobless rate has dropped from 5.5% at this time last year, to the current 4%. That means 15,000 fewer people looking for work in the Columbus region. Patty Huddle of Columbus 20-20, a business backed advocacy organization, says tight job markets are taking hold through-out the region. "Within certain sectors there are tighter labor markets. And I would point to manufacturing as one of those with a tighter labor market," says Huddle. Huddle says its much the same story for information technology, or I-T, where there are also more job opportunities than job applicants to fill them. For Columbus Castings, Holst says that means his company must constantly recruit. "We've tried to add quite a few employees and it's a challenge everyday to bring in qualified employees," says Holst. Columbus Castings draws workers from about a 30 mile radius including Circleville and Lancaster. As a steel manufacturer, the company employs a mostly male workforce. But, Nosha Boysay is an exception. She encourages other women to apply. "I mean if you can adjust to this type of environment, of course, yes, why not," says Boysay. Boysay is a welder. She cuts steel with a torch. "I mean you're on your feet all day. What I do is I'm a welder on final finish for the chippers. If they need something welded or burnt, then that's what I do," Boysay adds. Boysay is also likely to be retained for the forseeable future. Columbus Castings makes wheel housings for railroad cars and Holst says demand for the castings is growing as railroads buy new and upgrade tanker cars to haul oil from wells to refineries and ports. "That has certainly been a driver of our growth and we expect it to continue to be for the next two or two and a half years for sure," says Holst. The Columbus region counts about 80,000 jobs in manufacturing. A recent count of job openings on a state-sponsored website showed nearly 4,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs.