JOBSOHIO HIGHLIGHTS STUDY FINDING OHIO IS #1 FOR U.S PLASTICS MANUFACTURING EMPLOYMENT

Myriad economic and societal forces have aligned to support the onshoring of U.S. manufacturing. These forces point to Ohio.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In its newly released "2022 Size and Impact Report," the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS), the only trade organization supporting the entire U.S. plastics manufacturing supply chain, ranked Ohio as the #1 state in the nation for plastics employment.

According to the report, Ohio boasts 75,100 of the nearly 1 million plastics industry workers across the U.S. The industry grew 1.8% per year from 2011 to 2021 and 3.2% from 2020 to 2021. At $468 billion in shipments in 2021, plastics was the 6^th largest industry in the U.S. – jumping from 8^th place with $394.7 billion in shipments in 2020.

State rankings vary by plastics industry sector, but Ohio ranked at or near the top across the board due to the state's concentration of manufacturing activity, such as automobile and appliance assembly plants. Ohio ranked: #3 for plastic materials and resins; #1 for plastics products, #1 for plastic machinery; #2 for "molds for plastics"; #3 for wholesale trade for plastics materials, forms, and shapes; and #4 for captive plastics products operations, according to "Size and Impact Report" data.    

"The PLASTICS report comes at a pivotal time both for the state of Ohio and for our nation's long-term competitive positioning for advanced manufacturing globally," said J.P. Nauseef, president and CEO of JobsOhio. "Plastics are a critical component for countless industries and consumer products, and with a workforce ranked #1 in industrial productivity it's easy to see why manufacturers choose Ohio." It has been a long-held belief that importing goods, particularly from China, is cheaper and more efficient than domestic plastics-based manufacturing. However, thanks in part to the recent U.S. Shale Gas Revolution, that is no longer the case. In fact, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania produce over one and a half times more natural gas, which is used to make plastic resin, than the entire country of China.

Amid this rethinking of manufacturing dominance, Ohio stands ready to emerge as a global leader. The plastics industry is expected to grow in 2022 and 2023, and Ohio's central location, advanced supply chain, infrastructure, wealth of natural resources and experienced manufacturing talent give companies a well-established and welcoming base to make and move their goods with ease.

"Ohio has been a manufacturing powerhouse for over two centuries," Mr. Nauseef noted. "As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio is expanding growth opportunities for industries and enabling more companies and their workforces to be a part of it."

JobsOhio, the state's unique private nonprofit economic development corporation launched in 2011 to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio, and its deep network of regional and local partners have connected companies with sites, infrastructure, talent-matching services, permitting assistance, community access and Ohio's low cost of doing business that can't be found anywhere else in the U.S. Companies interested in exploring all the opportunities Ohio has to offer can visit jobsohio.com.

Programming Note: On December 1st, 2022, JobsOhio's Managing Director for Energy and Chemicals Matt Cybulski and experts from Shale Crescent USA, a nonprofit focused on promoting the abundant natural resources available in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, will be featured in a webinar hosted by Plastics News around the trends that have led to onshored plastics supply chains becoming the most effective (and low-cost) solution to ongoing supply chain woes. Further details about the event and instructions on how to register can be found here: The New Competitive Advantage of U.S.-based Plastic Manufacturing.

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) is the only organization that supports the entire plastics supply chain, representing over one million workers in the $468 billion U.S. industry. Since 1937, PLASTICS has been working to make its members and the industry more globally competitive while advancing recycling and sustainability. To learn more about PLASTICS educational initiatives, the $468 billion dollar plastics industry, sustainability insights and events, networking opportunities and policy advocacy, and the largest plastics trade show in the Americas, NPE: The Plastics Show, visit plasticsindustry.org or go to This Is PLASTICS.

JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention, and expansion. The organization also works to seed talent production in its 10 targeted industries and to attract talent to Ohio through Find Your Ohio. JobsOhio works with six regional partners across Ohio: Dayton Development Coalition, Ohio Southeast Economic Development, One Columbus, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE JobsOhio