Muskingum County Workforce

 

 

Abundant Workers

Downtown to downtown, Zanesville is 52 miles from Columbus, the 15th largest city in the U.S.A., via Interstate 70.  The Columbus MSA has over two million people.   While Muskingum County is just outside the Columbus MSA, employers in Muskingum County will find a readily available work force.  The labor force in the county is just over 41,000 people. 

But Muskingum County is not an island; in fact, we are a regional center for health care, services, shopping and employment.  Approximately, 9,000 commuters travel to Muskingum County from other counties to go to work.  Click here to see a chart of Muskingum County commuting patterns. When looking at neighboring counties within a 45-minute commute, the regional labor force is 523,807 people.  For the latest unemployment data, please connect to the Ohio Labor Market Web site.

When AVON Products opened its distribution center here in 2009, 11,000 people applied for 500 jobs.  That is over 20 applicants for every available job.  Fortunately, in Muskingum County we offer employers the services they need to successfully staff growing businesses.  The Ohio Means Jobs – Muskingum County office provided recruitment, application and screening services to AVON Products, saving the company time and money and allowing managers to focus on getting their business up and running.

Employers interested in help in job postings, application and pre-screening services are encouraged to work with Ohio Means Jobs – Muskingum County.

It should be noted that in the last 15 years, Muskingum County has lost nearly 5,700 manufacturing jobs, a 56% decline.   This job loss has left a group of experienced, skilled and motivated manufacturing workers, who are often underemployed or unemployed.

Being born and raised in Muskingum County I can attest that the work force here in Muskingum County not only has a great safety record but are also very productive and accurate.  I have been employed by two Fortune 500 companies in the last 22 years here in Zanesville.  At both of these companies the “Zanesville” team has been the best in their chain in the above mentioned metrics.

— Brian Braglin
Operations Manager, Dollar General

Operating a business in Muskingum County where Midwestern values are common has been great for our company.  Our staff of 80 people is professional, very customer-oriented, hard working, and extremely loyal.  The local colleges and universities have been a great source of talent.  Our rapid growth is solely due to the quality of our people.

— Larry Triplett
President of Resource Systems
A provider of software & services to the health care industry

In the 20 plus years I have lived and worked in the Muskingum County community, I have found the work force to have an exceptional work ethic and trainability as well as a skill level that is second to none.  Reliability and low turnover rate seems to be the norm rather than the exception.

— Darren R. Burrow
Plant Manager, Anchor Glass Container Corp.
Zanesville Mould Division

Plaskolite has successfully been in operation here in Zanesville for the past 10 years.  During this time we have continued to grow and expand our acrylic sheet manufacturing facility.  Our success is largely attributable to the quality of the workforce we have been able to recruit.  The strong work ethic, positive  attitudes, and pride in the quality of work performed of our employees allows us to be efficient and cost competitive in our markets.  Zanesville and Muskingum County have proven to be a great fit for Plaskolite.

— Don Schultz
Operations Manager, Plaskolite, Inc.

Working in the Workforce Development Community has made me aware of just how important the connectivity to employers and job seekers are in making this county a strong and viable part of the landscape of this great state.  Muskingum County residents have always had a great work ethic, loyalty to the local employer and a strong sense of community.  We take pride in our business community and value the relationships we have built along the way as we strive daily to see business and industry continue to grow and continue to support our “let’s make it happen” motto.
— Julie Metzger
Supervisor: Ohio Means Jobs Muskingum County

I was born and raised in Muskingum County and have managed labor for two local companies.  I have found our employees to be dedicated and hard-working, with a genuine interest in the company’s success and sustainability.

— Lee Bugglin
Director of Residential Products Operations, Bilco Company

Affordable Work Force

Zanesville is a “Micropolitan” community in eastern Ohio.  There are 542 Micropolitan communities in the United States, and they are ranked annually for economic strength and in 2020, Zanesville ranked 177th. Click here to see how Zanesville ranks against other Micropolitan areas in the United States.

 Ohio does not assess a corporate income tax or an inventory tax. The Tax Foundation and the Buckeye Institute created a ranking for various types of taxes on businesses and concluded that Ohio ranks fourth lowest in the nation for unemployment insurance taxes.

Please see the table below.  For a more detailed listing of wage rates by job classification, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site.

Source: May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes