Needed: Nurses. A lot of them

Online advertising for job openings is down regionally, according to state tracking, but nearly 20,000 job openings were still advertised online for western Ohio counties, including Montgomery County.

And across Ohio, registered nurses remain in strong demand, if online advertising is any indication.

A total of 19,685 job openings were posted online from April 14 through May 13 this year for Western Ohio counties, including Montgomery, Greene, Clark and 12 other counties, according to data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

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That represents a decrease of 1,941 ads from the previous reporting period — and it reflects a decrease of 1,816 ads from the same period a year ago, the state said.

In the area of Southwest Ohio that includes Butler and Warren counties, a total of 26,134 job openings were posted online April 14 to May 13.

That’s a decrease of 6,521 ads from the previous reporting period and a decrease of 9,749 ads compared to the same period a year ago.

In Western Ohio, the top advertisers for openings were Dayton Children’s Hospital, Oracle, Dollar General, Amazon and Kettering Medical Center.

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In Southwest Ohio, the top advertisers were the University of Cincinnati, Children’s Hospital Medical Center, TriHealth, Oracle and Bon Secours Health System.

The most in-demand jobs in the Dayton area and surrounding counties are registered nurses, front-line supervisors of retail workers, retail salespeople, developers of software and applications and drivers of heavy- and tractor-trailer trucks.

In Southwest Ohio, the most in-demand occupations is similar but includes customer service representatives.

Across Ohio, a total of 162,937 job openings were posted online from April 14 to May 13, 2020, a decrease of 27,621 ads from the previous reporting period. Compared to the same time period a year ago, this reflects a decrease of 30,875 ads.

The most in-demand occupation in Ohio? Registered nurses, the subject of 12,820 online ads.

Employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 12 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Growth will occur for a number of reasons, including an increased emphasis on preventive care; increasing rates of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity; and demand for health care services from the baby-boom population, as this group leads longer and more active lives,” the bureau said.

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