Cleveland Overview

Still working through the aftereffects of the recession, the Cleveland job market and economy are expected to experience minor recovery in 2012. As the city continues to diversify away from manufacturing, education/health services has become a critical employment sector for the area’s 1.1 million historically blue-collar workers.

Cleveland Job Opportunities

Cleveland has expanded on its manufacturing roots, particularly automotive and steel, to support a broader array of businesses. The highly recognized Cleveland Clinic and University Hospital fuel the healthcare space, while Case Western Reserve University feeds the expanding biotechnology segment. Other critical areas include specialty chemical, advanced energy, aerospace, distribution, food processing and technology.

Accounting for nearly 19 percent of jobs in Cleveland, the education/health services sector leads employment in Cleveland, followed closely by trade, transportation and utilities. All sectors have reported recent monthly declines with the exception of manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; and professional/business services.

Cleveland Employment Trends

Cleveland job trends are mixed. The city’s unemployment rate, which remained at or above 10 percent during the recession, has since improved to around or below 8 percent. Online job activity neared prerecession levels in 2011. However, payrolls, which grew from mid-2010 through most of 2011, have dropped an average of 0.5 percent.

The number of jobs in Cleveland will grow 1 percent between Q2 2012 and Q2 2013, off the 1.3 percent growth expected in the US job supply during that time, Moody’s Analytics forecasts.