State of the Workforce: Uncovering Ohio's "Hidden" Workforce

The Community's Conversation

Can “hidden workers” help alleviate Ohio’s current workforce woes? Ohio’s rock-bottom unemployment rate of 3.3% – lower even than the national average of 3.5% – is forcing employers to get creative in finding and hiring a workforce needed to keep the state’s hot economy cooking.

According to a recent Dayton Daily News report, Ohio has an enviable challenge: two job openings for every unemployed worker. So-called “hidden workers” might be part of a solution that’s good for employers and great for workers.

According to the Harvard Business Review, “hidden workers” may be formerly incarcerated individuals looking for a fresh start, workers facing disability challenges, older workers ready to return to the workforce, caregivers whose attention is also needed at home to provide childcare or eldercare, skilled immigrants lacking U.S. credentials, and returning veterans ready to contribute.

They’re a workforce eager to jump into the labor pool, yet many find themselves blocked by balky application processes, inflexible schedules, poor transportation, language struggles, and a host of other barriers.

How can Central Ohio businesses open the employment door to “hidden” workers ready to re-join the state’s workforce?

The speakers are:

Brent Orrell, Senior Fellow, The American Enterprise Institute

And Lisa Patt-McDaniel, CEO, Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio

The host is Archie Williamson, Founder and CEO of Diversified Systems, Inc.

This forum was generously sponsored by JPMorgan Chase, Charter Communications, and The Ohio Chamber of Commerce and was supported by The Ellis. The livestream was presented by The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation and The Columbus Dispatch.

This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Ellis in Columbus, Ohio’s historic Italian Village on September 27, 2023.