WKSU News: Ohio can help businesses compete globally

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 Ohio can help businesses compete globally One expert says Ohio can work with its manufacturers to prevent future job losses by WKSU's VALERIE BROWN	Reporter Valerie Brown

A report released Tuesday says Ohio may lose nearly 200 thousand jobs in auto-parts manufacturing over the next ten years.

The report from the Economic Policy Institute says China’s trade policy is hurting U.S. auto-parts manufacturers. The report says China subsidizes its auto-parts industry at a cost of almost 28 billion dollars.

Susan Helper is a professor of economics at Case Western Reserve University. She says state and local governments can take steps other than cutting taxes to support auto-parts companies here in Ohio.

Susan Helper says skills training benefits the business and the employee

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Helper: “There are some other things where (we’re) beginning to do things like work with manufacturers to design training programs to up-skill their workforce.”

Helper says local agencies like the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network can also help businesses get a competitive edge.

Helper says agencies like MAGNET can help businesses compete

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Helper: “They help companies learn things about how to improve their quality control, how to innovate, how to get access to new technology.”

But Helper does say changes need to be made nationally to help enforce global fair trade policies.