What You Think about Job Demand in Greater Cleveland

by Cathy Belk

Last month, on the heels of an updated jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on job activity, the Deaconess Foundation collected survey responses to questions regarding your perceptions of the greater Cleveland job market.  What did you say in our survey?

Note: we didn’t have a statistically significant number of responses, so this survey is directional only. Also of note: half the respondents self-identified as employers, with the other half being job-seekers or workforce practitioners.

The first question was about perception of current overall job demand in greater Cleveland. Results from all reflect that job demand is either about the same as the last three years, or even greater.

And perceptions are generally that the demand for roles – at least, entry level roles – is going to stay the same or increase over the next year.

Within that, though, it’s unclear if the types of roles that are in-demand had changed significantly (where the “yes” below is “the roles in-demand seem to be different than the last several years.”)

Similarly, the hiring process appears to be better, or worse, depending on any individual’s perspective!  Answers were really different about the amount of time it takes for the hiring process to be started and then completed:

Additional comments related to the hiring process continued to reflect frustration on both sides of the process, with individuals reflecting that good paying jobs require a Bachelor’s degree (perhaps undervaluing the skills a person might have) while employers continue to feel the process is very complex, without as many qualified (highly trained) candidates and desired and many applicants continue to ghost or fail to accept offers once provided. 

Overall, while anecdotal, results are very promising for people who have good skills and are dependably and eagerly seeking employment.   We’ll keep monitoring this in the coming months for any changes in local perceptions.