Report: 44 percent of Oregon jobs hard to fill

More than two-fifths (44 percent) of Oregon’s job vacancies in fall 2012 were reported by employers as “difficult to fill,” according to a new report from the Oregon Employment Department.

Major findings about Oregon’s difficult-to-fill job vacancies include:

–Difficult-to-fill vacancies are more likely to require education beyond high school and much more likely to require previous work experience.

–Difficult-to-fill vacancies offer higher wages on average than vacancies that weren’t reported as difficult to fill.

–The most common reasons employers cited for difficulty filling positions were:

-Unfavorable working conditions (18%)
-Lack of qualified candidates (18%)
-Lack of applicants (14%)
-Lack of work experience (13%)

–Employers are looking for the “right” combination of education and experience for unique roles within their companies. This may provide a more difficult training challenge than if companies were looking for a large number of employees with essentially identical skills.

–The education levels for which employers had the most difficulty were positions requiring associate degrees and positions requiring graduate degrees.

–Health care had by far the most vacancies reported as difficult to fill. Manufacturing and trade, transportation and utilities were also more likely to have difficulty filling vacancies.

Top Difficult-to-Fill Occupations, Fall 2012
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
Retail Salespersons
Nursing Assistants
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists
Bus Drivers, School or Special Client
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
Physical Therapists
Construction Laborers
Registered Nurses

The full PDF report, Two-Fifths of Oregon’s Job Vacancies are Difficult to Fill, is available at QualityInfo.org.