U.S. companies may be breathing a perverse sigh of relief. While increased unemployment warns of a recession, employers may figure it will finally be easier to hire for high-skill positions . After all, there are more unemployed people than available jobs in America for the first time since April 2021. Employers may think skilled workers will have fewer options and start seeking them out for a change.

Ohio’s big employers - like the Cleveland Clinic, Kroger, and The Ohio State University - cannot accept such thinking. The skills shortage will remain acute for many years. Between the sheer size of the shortages and the fact that we can’t produce high-skill workers overnight, employers must leverage apprenticeships and current employees to close the gap.

A few weak job reports won

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