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One America Works recently convened a series of in-person events in Columbus, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania bringing together tech startups, venture capital investors, policymakers and other stakeholders in the innovation economy. This week, we’ll focus on our work in Columbus – anchored by the Connecting the Coasts to the Heartland conference – and share some other exciting news from Ohio’s innovation economy.

Within a few months, the State of California and New York City, representing the largest tech and innovation hubs in the world, will require new job postings to include detailed salary information up front. The data they produce will demonstrate yet again how expensive it has become to recruit and retain top talent in big cities on the East and West coasts.

Last weekend, a New York Times headline posed the following question: “Can Tech Ecosystems Now Grow Inland?” (Spoiler: They can, and they have been for many years now.) The Times story was based on an interview with AOL founder Steve Case, who observed: “I believe we’ve hit peak Silicon Valley. It’s not that the area won’t continue to attract innovators, but it won’t have the lead it has held for the last decade.”

Clean energy technologies – or cleantech for short – are making a comeback in the United States. Decades ago, solar panels, electric vehicles and other cleantech products were pioneered in our country, but just as we started using more of those products to power our daily lives, we outsourced the manufacturing to other countries. It’s an all too familiar story across so many industries.

For years, there’s been a lot of talk about securing a domestic supply chain for computer chips and other semiconductor technologies. But in the wake of the pandemic and the acute global chip shortage it triggered, that talk is turning into action. Chip manufacturers are announcing new plants and expansions worth hundreds of billions of dollars in states like Arizona, Texas and Ohio.

The Return to Office debate continues, with employers and workers pulling in different directions and no clear resolution in sight. That said, tech leaders should seriously consider diversifying their geographical footprint, by opening new offices that are closer to their people, so that traveling to the office isn’t the same ordeal it used to be before the pandemic.

It’s not too early to assess how “Return to Office” policies are going. While some companies offer flexibility around working remotely, a large number are requiring their employees to come into the office – at least part of the time. Now over halfway into 2022, it’s becoming apparent how it has been going…And safe to say, Not Well.

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace continue to be an ongoing challenge within the tech industry, specifically as it relates to the LGBTQ+ community. Authentic inclusion plays an important role in supporting fast-growing tech hubs looking to maintain or enhance their tech economies and attract or retain talent.

Over the last few months, One America Works has kicked into gear with innovative events and activities directly supporting tech talent, tech companies, and growing tech hubs. As the decentralization of the tech sector and its workers continues, our team continues to find ways to help tech firms and professionals navigate a new world of work.

Back in the early 2000s, employers started to add degree requirements to job descriptions, which screened out potentially solid applicants. From here, the opportunity gap grew and upward mobility became more difficult. After the Great Recession and more recently, the pandemic, the pendulum has started to swing back. Employers need skilled talent to fill open positions, and many are willing to give skills-based hiring a try.