Another area code coming to Dayton

With the proliferation of cell phones and calling plans, the Dayton area is about to run out of phone numbers that begin with the 937 area code.

This will have a big impact on businesses that add new phone lines.

Reporter Thomas Gnau reported last week that the Dayton area will get a new area code — 326 — that will be overlaid on the existing 937 area code, which is expected to run out of available phone numbers in 2020.

The 937 area code will not go away. Only new numbers will get the 326 area code.

The new 326 area code goes into effect March 8, 2020, with mandatory 10 or 11-digit dialing for all local calls in the 937/326 area code starting Feb. 8, 2020, Gnau reported.

Three digit numbers such as 911, 411 and 811 will not change.

Path forward

Reporter Lynn Hulsey wrote last week that the economy is in its ninth year of recovery and there are want ads posted for Dayton job openings all over the place. Employers say they are having a hard time finding workers and many are calling for more skills training. Critics say that employers would be able to fill jobs if they offered better pay and benefits.

Here are 7 things Hulsey reported about the state of jobs and the economy in the Dayton region:

■ 1. Local economic leaders say the key to success is to better align skills with jobs; leverage Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; maximize health care jobs; help small businesses and entrepreneurs succeed and focus retention and development efforts on aerospace and defense, advanced manufacturing, logistics and bioscience and advanced data management.

■ 2. The nine-county region around Dayton as a whole has added jobs since the recession, but Montgomery County and three other counties lost jobs during that period, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

■ 3. Average weekly earnings in the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Montgomery, Greene and Miami counties, declined to $744 in 2017, down from $918 in 2007, according to inflation-adjusted data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

■ 4. Employers want workers with basic skills, such as math and the ability to communicate and follow directions, and sometimes more advanced skills. Employers also say more workers with “soft skills,” such as having proper phone etiquette and work habits, are needed, along with workers who have leadership potential.

■ 5. There are more than 15,500 job openings posted on the OhioMeansJobs.com website for the 12 counties around Dayton. All require at least a high school degree or GED and many want higher education credentials.

■ 6. Companies come here because of the location, local education and training options, the available workforce and the quality of life, development officials say. Among the attributes: 60 percent of the entire U.S. and Canadian population is accessible within a day’s drive.

■ 7. Some believe Dayton needs an image makeover. If more companies knew how nice it is to live here, “I believe they would choose to locate here,” said Jeff Hoagland, president and chief executive of the Dayton Development Coalition.”

Business of politics

The two candidates for Ohio governor will address Dayton business leaders this week during a forum sponsored by the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, the Republican candidate, and Democratic candidate Richard Cordray will present their views on what the state can do to create more jobs and better the economy.

The event will be held at the PSA Maintenance Hanger on Thursday and is open to only chamber members and their employees.

Rich Gillette is the Dayton Daily News business editor. He can be reached at rich.gillette@coxinc.com. Follow him on Twitter @richgillette.