“If we have a job, a full-time job, we’re more likely to have health care,” he said. “And if we have health care, we’re more likely to have access to health care at an appropriate level… because we have those benefits provided by our employer.”
Clark County began the year with an unemployment rate of 4.3%, slightly higher than the state’s average rate.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services in January estimated that roughly 2,700 people in Clark County’s labor force – people available to work – were unemployed.
Patterson said working also helps people create and maintain personal relationships, which also benefits a person’s wellbeing.
Clark County Ohio Means Jobs deputy director Erin Willoughby said employment is a piece of holistic health.
“Employment, personal life, your physical health, your mental health… all of those things encompass that individual,” Willoughby said. “You cannot be a happy, healthy individual if you don’t encompass all of these spokes.”
Greater Springfield Partnership workforce development director Amy Donahoe said employment also benefits families, as children see adults in their household working.
“We want to have a generational workforce, generational wealth,” Donahoe said. “If you’re modeling for your child what you want them to be later in life, that will be a continuum.”
A job fair will be hosted by the Greater Springfield Partnership and Clark County Ohio Means Jobs at the Hollenbeck Bayley Conference Center in Springfield on March 29 from noon to 4 p.m.
The fair will include 60 employers in fields like health care, manufacturing, social services, customer service, food service, education and construction. City and county officials will also be available with information about government employment opportunities.
Also invited to the job fair are high school seniors approaching graduation. Employers offering summer job opportunities and career opportunities post-graduation will be available, Donahoe said.
“Truly what we’re trying to do in our schools is prepare these students for what comes after high school,” Donahoe said. “That could mean many different things, but eventually they’re going to be in the workforce.”
As of this month, Willoughby said more than 320,000 jobs were posted throughout the state on Ohio Means Jobs’ website – thousands of those job opportunities are rooted in Clark County.
The state’s job and family services department lists customers service representatives, corrections officers and other law enforcement personnel, nursing staff, truck and forklift drivers, interpreters and translators as in-demand careers in the state.
According to the Greater Springfield Partnership, roughly 56% of Clark County’s working population leaves the county for work.
Donahoe said she and others at the Greater Springfield Partnership are hoping to encourage those living in the county to also consider working in the county.
Willoughby encouraged those attending the upcoming job fair to bring a resume with them, and she said her office can provide guidance about resume creation, job interview skills, and seeking certifications like certified driver’s licenses.
“Anyone can walk in the door,” she said. “It’s for everybody.”
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
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