Ohio's unemployment rate has consistently stayed around 5 percent, and the area is enjoying a slow but steady job growth. The three largest employers are Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (22,000 employees), Premier Health Partners (10,674)-manage Good Samaritan and Miami Valley Hospitals, Delphi Corp (7,847)-manufacturer of automotive parts. Other major employers include Kettering Medical Center Network, Montgomery County, Meijer, GM Moraine Assembly plant, and AK Steel Corp..
Good Prospects: Jobs are readily available in the health care field, especially in nursing, with an average hourly rate for RNs of $21.45 and nursing assistants of $9.27. There are numerous customer service vacancies (average hourly rate of $13.31), office assisting jobs (average hourly rate of $10.77), cashier positions (average hourly rate of $7.15), and retail sales vacancies (average hourly rate of $9.54). The fastest growing occupations include Computer Support Specialists ($19.96), Computer Software Engineers-Applications and Systems Software ($30.80) and Network/Computer Systems Administrators ($25.09).
Poor Prospects:
Most clerical and professional Civil Service jobs on base have been affected by the downsizing.
For job hunting purposes, be sure to hand-carry all employment records and documents, resumes, SF50, transcripts, certificates and licenses.
Spouses who are PCSing with their members from overseas locations are eligible for unemployment compensation. However, Ohio does not provide unemployment compensation for stateside PCS moves. If coming from overseas, the applicant must have at least 20 weeks of employment and must have an average weekly wage of at least $148.00.
The Family Support Center facilitates job fairs twice during the year, bringing together employers and people looking for employment.