Oregon vacant jobs not being filled

Reasons provided for difficult-to-fill vacancies

Almost Half of Oregon’s Job Vacancies are Difficult to Fill
by Jessica Nelson, Jul-21-2014
Oregon Employment Department

Businesses reported that almost half (48%) of Oregon’s job vacancies in 2013 were “difficult to fill,” according to a new report from the Oregon Employment Department.Major findings about Oregon’s difficult-to-fill job vacancies include:

The most common reasons employers cited for difficulty filling positions were:
– Lack of qualified candidates (24%)
– Lack of applicants (23%)
– Unfavorable working conditions (17%)
– Low wages (11%)
– Lack of work experience (9%)

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

Employers have more difficulty filling positions requiring previous work experience. Over half of vacancies requiring more than a year of experience were difficult to fill.

Employers had a harder time filling positions requiring postsecondary training, but not a college degree.

Mid- and high-wage jobs are more challenging to fill than low-wage ones. As wages rise, responses citing a lack of qualified candidates account for a greater share, topping out at more than half of the responses for jobs paying more than $25 per hour.
Small employers – those with 2 to 19 employees – had the most difficulty filling positions.

Employers in Northwest Oregon and the Willamette Valley, and in Eastern Oregon, had the most difficulty filling jobs. Portland area employers had the least difficulty.

The full report, Almost Half of Oregon’s Job Vacancies are Difficult to Fill, is available at www.QualityInfo.org.

 

 

Table1
Top Difficult-to-Fill Occupations, 2013
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
Personal care aides
Home health aides
Customer service representatives
Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
Registered nurses
Massage therapists
Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
Cooks, restaurant
Table 2
Oregon Job Vacancies by Difficult to Fill Status, 2013
Vacancies Average Hourly Wage Full-time Positions Permanent Positions Requiring Education Beyond
High School
Requiring Previous Experience
All Vacancies 32,602 $15.23 68% 78% 29% 69%
Difficult to Fill 15,576 $16.15 74% 77% 29% 72%
Not Difficult to Fill 17,026 $14.16 62% 78% 30% 67%
Graph 1

Reasons provided for difficult-to-fill vacancies


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