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A jobs posting board hangs on a wall at Central City Concern in this 2012 file photo.
(The Associated Press)
Searching for a job in Oregon? Good news. Recruiting to fill one? Good luck.
Oregon businesses had more vacancies this spring than any other since 2008, according to survey results published Thursday. Yet executives described 61 percent of those positions as difficult to fill, either because few people applied or because those who did weren't qualified.
As the economy improves and more people find work, "employers are having a harder time finding the workers they need," said the new report, written by Gail Krumenauer, an analyst at the Oregon Employment Department.
Every three months, the agency surveys businesses about vacancies. Though some of the positions may never end up getting filled, the statewide results are viewed as an indicator of future hiring trends.
In response to the most recent survey from second quarter 2015, business managers reported 53,300 unfilled jobs. That works out to one vacancy for every two job seekers in Oregon.
Earlier in the recovery, the ratio strongly favored employers. At one point in 2011, six people competed for every opening. For much of 2014, the ratio was 3-to-1.
But as more people find jobs and the number of available workers declines, the labor market is shifting in favor of applicants.
Businesses reported three in five jobs were tough to fill, the highest ratio since the quarterly survey began 2 1/2 years ago.
The occupations that employers had the hardest time filling were personal-care assistants, cooks and cleaners, which are also among the most prevalent occupations.
Most of the vacancies employers reported were full-time (76 percent) and permanent (89 percent). Managers sought previous experience for 60 percent of the jobs, but advanced education for only 25 percent.
Roughly 29,400 of the vacancies would pay less than $15 an hour, about as many as the same time a year ago. But the number of openings that pay at least $15 but less than $25 more than doubled, from 5,700 to 12,100.
The largest share of openings were based in and around Portland. Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties shared a combined 44 percent of the vacancies -- roughly in line with the population proportions of the metro-area counties.
-- Molly Young
myoung@oregonian.com
503-412-7056
@mollykyoung