COLUMBUS – In 2010, as central Ohio and the nation began to emerge from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, a new regional development group called Columbus 2020 set a goal: To added 150,000 jobs to the 11-county region by the end of the decade.
Now that they’ve met that goal, what next?
The 11-county region around Columbus has added 159,000 net jobs since 2010, The Columbus Dispatch reported, accomplishing the goal two years early, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Columbus 2020 CEO Kenny McDonald talks about the area’s success on “Perspective.”
The unemployment rate for the region in April was 3.4 percent, a 17-year low, with 1.05 million people working from a labor force of 1.08 million, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
The years 2011-2018 have been the decade with the strongest job growth in the region’s history, coming off a recession during which the area added a little over 3,000 jobs as the nation struggled with the economic downturn, according to Columbus 2020.
“When regional economic goals were set in 2010, at the tail end of a rough recession, many could not imagine the achievement of such a bold jobs goal. Companies within the Columbus Region have met the challenge, and our economic development outlook is now stronger than ever,” said Alex Fischer, president and CEO of the Columbus Partnership, which helped develop the strategy.
The Columbus metropolitan area ranks No. 13 in the U.S. for net new jobs, the group said.
The Columbus Region is comprised of Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Logan, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway and Union counties.
When the Columbus 2020 Regional Growth Strategy was unveiled it included two other goals as part of its 10-year plan.
The objective of raising $8 billion in capital investment has already been reached and the goal to increase per capita income in the region by 30 percent will be achieved if the current pace remains steady. At $47,725 incomes are 24.4 percent higher than they were in 2010 and should be 43.9 percent higher by 2020, the group projected.