Ohio Government Jobs to Grow More than National Average

While government jobs nationwide are expected to decline during the foreseeable future, Ohio government jobs should continue to grow.

According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the government industry employed 795,700 people statewide in May 2008, a .3 percent increase over the previous year. In 2004, Ohio employed 755,700 people in the government industry, and that number is expected to reach 802,700 by 2014, an increase of 6.2 percent.

Ohio's executive branch of government is made up of six officers: governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, auditor and treasurer. The legislative branch of government, the Ohio General Assembly, is made up of the Senate, which has 33 members, and the House of Representatives, which has 99 members. The judicial branch of government is headed by the Supreme Court, which has one chief justice and six associate justices.

Legislators must be at least 18-years old and have lived in a district for at least one year. In 2002, the legislative salary was $51,674. Candidates for governor must be at least 18-years old, U.S. citizens, able to vote and state residents. In 2002, the governor's salary was $126,485.

In the federal government, Ohio has 18 seats in the House of Representatives.

In Columbus, the state capital and largest city in Ohio, the government industry employed 158,600 people in May 2008, a .6 percent increase over the previous year.

Local government in Ohio consists of 88 counties, 942 cities and villages, 1,308 towns, 667 public school districts and 631 special districts.

According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the government industry employs 1.8 million people, making it the largest employer in the country. However, while some job growth will be needed to meet the growing demands of homeland security, government employment is expected to decrease by 4.6 percent through 2016.

"There is projected slow growth or declines in other Federal sectors due to governmental cost-cutting, the growing use of private contractors, and continuing devolution—the practice of turning over the development, implementation, and management of some programs of the Federal Government to State and local governments," the site notes. "However, many job openings should arise from the need to replace workers who retire or leave the Federal Government for other reasons."