COLUMBUS -- The workplace skills that central Ohio employees most need to develop are critical thinking, problem solving and working with people, according to a survey of 105 businesses in seven counties.

These are the skills in which there is the biggest gap between what central Ohio employers say they want and what they say local workers offer, said David Radosevich, leader of the survey and assistant professor of industrial/organizational psychology at Ohio State University at Marion.

The survey included businesses in Marion, Delaware, Union, Crawford, Wyandot, Hardin and Morrow counties.

While more than 70 percent of the jobs at the businesses surveyed required only a high school degree, the results showed that education and training are still important for all employees, Radosevich said.

“The trend is that jobs are becoming more complex and employees are expected to take on more responsibilities,” he said. “As complexity and job demands increase, employees need critical thinking and problem solving skills to perform successfully.”

Radosevich and graduate student Alicia Diaz conducted the survey for the George H. Alber Enterprise Center at Ohio State University in Marion. The Alber Enterprise Center provides customized training and other services to help the development of local businesses, according to Radosevich. The purpose of this survey was to determine the workforce needs of the local companies.

Radosevich reported the results of the study recently in Toronto at a meeting of the American Psychological Society.

The researchers conducted a mail survey of leaders from a wide range of businesses in the seven-county region, from manufacturing to service-oriented companies. Three-fourths of the jobs in the businesses – 74 percent – required only a high school degree.

Along with critical thinking and problem solving skills, the other job characteristic most needed by Central Ohio workers was people skills, according to the survey.

“More organizations are using workplace teams, and that demands employees who can work well with others in order to perform effectively,” Radosevich said. “Employers are also looking for employees who can emphasize customer service.”

Recruitment and retention of employees is a major issue with central Ohio employers, or at least was an issue when this survey was conducted in July and August 2000. Nearly three-quarters of businesses responding (71 percent) said they had some difficulty in recruiting qualified employees. Nearly half (46 percent) had some difficulty in retaining employees.

As expected, entry-level positions had the most turnover, with more than a third (36 percent) of these positions open each year.

“Businesses have had trouble finding entry-level employees, and when they did find them, they didn’t stay long,” Radosevich said. “If workers found the company across the street was paying 10 cents more an hour, they would leave.”

The most common reason cited by respondents for workers quitting their jobs was for higher pay elsewhere.

So-called Gen X employees (those aged 25-35) had an annual turnover rate of 18 percent, compared to 11 percent for baby boomers (those aged 35-54).

Survey results also showed that businesses thought their employees needed a stronger work ethic, better attitude and more motivation, Radosevich said.

“Many employers suggested that younger workers – the Gen Xers – didn’t have the strong work ethic that they wanted,” he said. “Organizations need to determine what motivates younger workers and find ways to meet some of those needs if they want to recruit and retain these employees.”

Radesovich said the results of this survey will help the Alber Enterprise Center to develop training programs that will best meet the needs of local employers.

Contact: David Radosevich, (740) 389-6786; Radosevich.3@osu.edu

Written by Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu

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