Muskingum County leading in new jobs

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- Muskingum County has been ranked as one of the leaders in new jobs.

The Dayton Business Journal rated the top 25 counties in Ohio with the largest new job growth and Muskingum County was ranked No. 9.

Matt Abbott, Executive Director of Zanesville-Muskingum County Port Authority, said it’s an honor for the county.

“It’s really a tribute to the businesses here in the county that continue to invest in work development solutions and also continue to invest in human capital and move forward,” said Abbott.

The data was collected by the U.S. Department of Labor over a 12-month period from June 2015 to June 2016.

“It’s a sign of good things to come in Muskingum County and we’re very hopeful that 2017 will continue this upward trend,” said Abbott.

Muskingum County jobs grew 3.4% according to the statistics. The new jobs could be perceived as a result of new companies, but that is not necessarily the case here.

“It’s important to note that in 2015 in the state of Ohio, 70% of new jobs were created by existing companies,” said Abbott. “Here at our office we invest 70% of our time working with existing companies, working with their workforce, working with them to help them grow and expand here.”

Abbott said this local upward trend can mostly be seen in the healthcare, manufacturing and distributing industries. He also noted that Muskingum County is a diversified economy.

“If one market is struggling, like we’ve seen some downturn in the oil and gas industry, we have other economical factors that come in and other demographics that stand to benefit our community,” said Abbott.

He said these factors balance out the local economy.