Two different views on Toledo's job market

A couple of stories from earlier this month.

Sep 11, 2007 Toledo Blade story :

Metro Toledo ranks among the best cities in the state in terms of hiring for the October through December period in a new survey. Adding workers is expected by 37 percent of area firms and cutting payroll is planned by 3 percent of companies in the fourth quarter of the year. The survey shows Toledo better than or equal to the hiring plans in 16 other metro areas in Ohio.

I believe metro Toledo includes the counties of Lucas, Wood, Ottawa, and Fulton.

Sep 10, 2007 bizjournals story titled Where the hottest job markets are. Toledo is in the coldest 10.

There is a geographical sameness to the bottom 10. Three lagging markets are in Michigan, and four are in next-door Ohio.

10 Coldest Job Markets

Detroit
New Orleans
Youngstown
Dayton
Cleveland
Lansing
Toledo
Springfield, MA
New Haven, CT
Grand Rapids, MI

About Toledo from the article:

Unemployment is spiking upward in Toledo -- from 5.9 percent a year ago to 6.6 percent by the middle of 2007. The latter is the fifth-worst jobless rate in any major market. The number of jobs in Toledo is slowly trending in the opposite direction -- down 700 in the past 12 months.

Quick stats

Private-sector jobs as of mid-2007: 286,300
Unemployment rate as of mid-2007: 6.6%
Private-sector trend since mid-2002: Lost 900 jobs
Five-year growth rate: -0.3%
Private-sector trend since mid-2006: Lost 700 jobs
One-year growth rate: -0.2%

Sep 21, 2007 mlive.com story :

LANSING -- The Democrat-led state House continues to get tangled up in tax debates as it tries to resolve a projected budget crisis for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1. The House was again voting early today on a proposal to increase the personal income tax rate from the current 3.9 percent to 4.6 percent. The proposal could raise about $1.1 billion for the state next fiscal year, leaving more than $600 million of a potential deficit to be eliminated by cuts or other revenue sources.

All this week, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has showcased what the income tax funds in the budget -- public safety, health care and education. She said the tax hike was critical to protecting vulnerable citizens and to "save the state" from a government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.

Feb 2007 Toledo Talk posting - Stats on Ohio's taxes and small business environment

State Taxes This is a ranking where it's best to be near the bottom. Ohio, unfortunately, is near the top for the amount of taxes its citizens pay.