Ohio's Sluggish Job Growth

No matter our race or our zip code, most of us believe that all Ohioans deserve quality schools, affordable care, and good-paying jobs that ensure all our families can thrive.

Since 2005, Ohio has cut income tax rates 10 times with the purpose of creating jobs. However, simply put, it hasn’t worked. Instead, it has cost Ohio billions of dollars for our schools, affordable housing, and social services.

Compared to the nation, Ohio’s job growth has been slower — both pre- and post-pandemic. While the U.S. is approaching pre-pandemic levels of employment, Ohio is struggling to catch up.

Ohio continues to be outperformed when it comes to job growth, especially compared to our neighboring states. When we look to our rival neighbor up North, Michigan ranks 8th for job growth with a rate of 3.17. Ohio ranked 41st in 2021 with a rate of 1.68, which is below the national rate of 2.77. We have been consistently unable to match the national average, and this loss hurts us all.

Sluggish job growth means a weak economy. We need to invest in jobs that pay fair living wages. When we create living-wage jobs, we attract new businesses and encourage students and young adults to stay in the state.

A vocal group of Republican lawmakers are working to eliminate the state income tax. In reality, this is a tax shift that will result in fewer teachers in classroom, fewer options for childcare, and more expensive college tuition while most Ohioans would actually pay more in property and sales tax. Sign our petition to let your lawmakers know that you disagree with repealing the state income tax. Join us in saying no to SB 327.