COVID-19 Impact in Q1 2020: Implications for Health Care, Transportation Equipment Manufacturing, and Local/State Government Employment
May 5, 2020
This report, prepared by the Center for Economic Development and Community Resilience, housed in the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University, provides a snapshot of employment in health care, transportation equipment manufacturing, and local/state governments. Ohio employment in these industries is compared to employment in other states and, in the case of local/state government, compared across counties in Ohio. These industries have faced and will continue to face challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key Findings:
- Expenditures on health care decreased by 2.25% in Q1 2020. • Ohio ranks 12th in terms of the share of total employment in the health care industry.
- Northeast & Midwest regions are most at risk from COVID-19 related employment declines in the health care industry due to decrease in elective procedures and non-urgent care.
- Expenditures on motor vehicles and parts decreased by 0.95% in Q1 2020. • Ohio has the 11th largest share of employment in the transportation equipment manufacturing industry.
- Midwest & South regions most likely to experience financial difficulty from decline in transportation, motor vehicle, and motor vehicle parts purchases during COVID-19.
- Ohio was the 9th largest state exporter of goods in 2018 and weaker overseas demand for goods and services will have a sizable impact.
- Ohio’s local governments are heavily reliant on taxes impacted by the pandemic, such as income and sales taxes, and hence local governments are very vulnerable to declines in tax collections and other own-source revenues.
- Appalachian Ohio counties, particularly those in Southern and Southeastern Ohio, have a disproportionately larger share of employment in local and state government. These counties are particularly vulnerable to public sector job losses.