Public-school graduates in Ohio have limited job options because their education hasn’t fully prepared them for the workforce, a new survey of economists finds.
The survey, conducted by Scioto Analysis, paints a dismal picture of the state’s job prospects – finding the labor force shrank in the last few months of 2025 even as unemployment rates decreased.
“Eighteen [economists] were asked whether they agreed that ‘misalignment between Ohio’s education and workforce training systems and employer skill demands is limiting statewide job growth,’” the Columbus-based nonprofit news outlet Ohio Capital Journal explained. “Eleven agreed, three disagreed and four were uncertain or had no opinion.”
One of the economists, Bill Lafeyette from Regionomics, argued the misalignment isn’t unique to Ohio alone. “Based on my work with educational institutions, linkages between these institutions and business need to be enhanced,” he wrote.
