Cleveland Jobs Growth At Nearly 20-Year High

Thanks to four specific sectors, job growth in the Cleveland metro area was at a nearly 20-year high in 2015, according to a study by Cleveland State University.

The region added 23,300 jobs in 2015, the most in any year since 1997, and an increase of 2.2 percent. That increase is above major cities including Boston, Denver, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh.

The study found that while jobs and wages in the health industry were increasing, jobs and wages in manufacturing have remained stagnant.

Cleveland State’s report, co-authored by Richey Piiparinen, senior research associate at CSU’s Center for Population Dynamics, and research consultant Jim Russell, cited four sectors that accounted for over 87 percent of added jobs: education and health services; leisure and hospitality; construction; and financial services. The growth in health services is notable, as the industry accounts for 19.2 percent of Cleveland-area jobs, well above the 15.7 percent national average.

According to the study, “the region’s healthcare industry is increasingly tradable.” Everything from healthcare professionals to patients to research and development expenses are now being exported to Cleveland.

The average wage for local hospital employees is now $61,206, up from $50,013 in 2002. That is above the average of manufacturing wages, which are $61,058 and have grown by less than $2,000 in the same time period. Manufacturing counted for nearly 90 percent of the job losses in the area during the recessions of 2001 and 2007 through 2009.

Increases in popular jobs in Cleveland will lead to the city's workers having more disposable income. The study shows that said income can lead to growth in the construction and hospitality industries.