Executive Summary. Nearly 20 percent of those job vacancies went unfilled for two months or longer.

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1 Oregon Job Job on the Oregon Coast Shawna L. Sykes, Workforce Analyst, (503) ext. 232 About the Survey Helping Oregonians find good jobs requires taking a close look at the staffing needs of businesses. Every job opening represents an opportunity for someone to gain experience, begin a career, or supplement their family s income. Which businesses are hiring? What positions are going unfilled? Why are companies having difficulty filling these positions? The Spring 2008 Job Vacancy Survey was designed to help answer these questions. Over 1,700 firms in Clatsop, Coos, Curry, Lincoln, and Tillamook counties were contacted about their immediate workforce needs and the nature of current job openings. Essentially, we asked coastal area businesses if they had a Help Wanted sign in the window and to tell us a little bit about their job openings. The goal is to help all the partners in the economy businesses, schools, training providers, policy makers, and job seekers see where the available workforce may be falling short. Asking about the workforce needs of coastal businesses is the first step in an ongoing process to improve awareness of available jobs in the community. The next steps are to listen to and understand what local businesses are saying and to work together to address challenges. The objective of the survey, and this report, is to contribute to that process. Executive Summary In the Spring of 2008, there were an estimated 2,429 job vacancies in businesses on the Oregon Coast (Clatsop, Coos, Curry, Lincoln, and Tillamook counties). Nearly 20 percent of those job vacancies went unfilled for two months or longer. Many occupations had vacancies. The 25 occupations with the most vacancies represented two-thirds of all area job vacancies. The accommodation and food services, health care, and manufacturing industries had the most job vacancies. Combined, these three industries represented nearly two-thirds of all coastal job vacancies. Of all job vacancies, 22 percent required education beyond high school and nearly half require a license or certificate. These educational requirements, along with the coast s higher than average home costs and remoteness, add to the difficulty in filling coastal vacancies. Of the vacancies with wage information, 70 percent paid a wage of less than $10 an hour, while one in ten paid more than $20 an hour. Top 25 Jobs in Demand The top jobs in demand on the Oregon Coast are spread across a diverse range of wages, skill levels, and industries. In the number one position, maids and housekeeping cleaners had the largest number of vacancies (158) representing about 7 percent of all job vacancies. October 2008 Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders (141 vacancies), meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers (128 vacancies), waiters and waitresses (118 vacancies), and food preparation workers (118 vacancies) filled out the top five with the most job openings. Registered nurse was the job with the sixth highest number of vacancies on the coast with 109 openings and it was the job with most openings statewide this spring. For all other occupations, no single occupation represented more than 4 percent of total vacancies, indicating the wide range of positions in the area going unfilled. Nearly 20 percent of all job vacancies have existed for 60 or more days, as was true statewide. Occupations with high rates of long-term vacancies included waiters and waitresses; nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants; maids and housekeeping cleaners; secondary school teachers; and hosts and hostesses. The vacancies most likely to endure past 60 days statewide were construction laborers; freight, stock, and material movers; home care aides; nursing aides; and computer software engineers. Job by Industry The accommodation and food services, health care, and manufacturing industries had the most job vacancies in the coastal area. Combined, these three industries represented almost two-thirds of all coastal job vacancies. Statewide, the industries with the most openings were

2 Oregon Job October 2008 Table 1 Top 25 Occupations on the Oregon Coast With the Highest Number of Job, May 2008 Share of Total Vacant 60+ Days Occupation All Occupations 2, % 19% Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners % 35% Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders % 0% Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers % 16% Waiters and Waitresses % 47% Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food % 30% Registered Nurses % 14% Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers % 22% Cooks, Restaurant % 17% Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks % 4% Cashiers % 6% Forest and Conservation Technicians % 0% Food Preparation Workers % 19% Coaches and Scouts % 10% Hosts and Hostesses in Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shops % 30% Recreation Workers % 5% Retail Salespersons % 16% Maintenance and Repair Workers, General % 0% Construction Laborers % 8% Dishwashers % 0% Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants % 36% Personal and Home Care Aides % 7% Physicians and Surgeons % 0% Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers % 21% Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria % 0% Pharmacists % 0% Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Vocational % 31% Table 2 Oregon Coast Job by Industry, May 2008 Industry All Industries 2,429 2% 22% 48% Accommodation and Food Services 768 1% 1% 59% Health Care and Social Assistance 406 2% 62% 70% Manufacturing 375 2% 3% 10% al Services 302 0% 60% 79% Retail Trade 148 3% 16% 28% Construction 81 0% 4% 7% Other Services 77 3% 22% 21% Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing 74 0% 5% 24% Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 53 6% 2% 4% Finance and Insurance 31 0% 23% 26% Administrative and Waste Services 30 27% 7% 23% Professional and Technical 24 17% 58% 67% Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 20 5% 0% 40% Transportation and Warehousing 19 0% 11% 63% Information 10 10% 60% 40% Wholesale Trade 7 0% 43% 100% Management of Companies 4 0% 25% 75% health care (21%), accommodation and food services (13%), and retail trade (9%). The sum of openings in these three industries made up over 40 percent of all vacancies statewide. Of all open jobs, 22 percent required education beyond high school and about half required a license or certificate. The wholesale trade, educational services, and health care industries had the largest shares of openings requiring a license or certificate. Conversely, none of the positions in the arts, entertainment, and recreation industry and only 1 percent of openings in the accommodation and food services sector required education beyond a high school diploma. 2

3 Oregon Job October 2008 As was true of openings statewide, only 2 percent of all job vacancies on the coast were newly created positions. This suggests that the vast majority of job openings are created by turnover rather than economic growth. Administrative and waste services industry jobs had the highest share of newly created positions, at 27 percent. Graph 1 70% 60% 50% Share of Oregon Coast Job High School by Size of Firms, May 2008 Job by Size of Business Almost half of coastal job vacancies were at companies with 50 or more employees. Smaller firms, those with fewer than 50 employees, represented 52 percent of all vacancies. Statewide, companies with 50 or more employees provided seven in ten vacancies. Table 3 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% <10 10 to to to to and up Employees The overall job vacancy rate, the number of vacancies divided by the number of filled jobs, was 3.5 percent along the coast. Firms with less than 20 employees and firms with over 250 employees had a 1.7 percent vacancy rate, while firms with 20 to 49 employees had a 4.1 percent vacancy rate. Number of Employees Vacancy Rate* Full-Time Permanent Total 2, % 53% 63% 2% 22% 48% 48% < % 57% 76% 4% 24% 34% 57% % 60% 61% 2% 19% 35% 64% % 52% 62% 2% 11% 50% 34% % 51% 53% 2% 11% 53% 35% % 47% 47% 0% 26% 42% 38% 250 and up % 59% 96% 2% 62% 67% 90% * divided by employment in first quarter 2008 Oregon Coast Job by Firm Size, May 2008 Graph 2 The largest companies had a larger share of vacancies requiring higher education. Firms of 250 or more required education beyond high school for twothirds of their vacancies. Job vacancies at smaller companies were less likely to require an education beyond high school. Vacant jobs at large businesses (250 or more employees) and the smallest businesses (fewer than 10 employees) were more likely to be permanent positions than jobs offered by employers between 10 and 249 employees. Job 1,400 1,200 1, Oregon Coast Job by al Requirement, May 2008 No Requirement Some College Assoc./Voc. Degree Bachelor's Degree Graduate Degree Other 3

4 Oregon Job October 2008 Job by Table 4 Of the reported coastal job vacancies, 94 percent included information on educational Level Required requirements. Of these, one-fourth required education beyond high school. Statewide, over 40 percent of openings with reported educational requirements required education beyond high school. Oregon Coast Job by Required Level, May 2008 Full-time Permanent Total 2,429 53% 63% 2% 48% 48% No Requirement 1,274 43% 45% 2% 40% 22% % 80% 1% 29% 67% Some College 46 72% 96% 2% 41% 91% Assoc./Voc. Degree % 93% 2% 85% 90% Bachelor's Degree % 96% 1% 85% 95% Graduate Degree % 94% 1% 82% 84% Other 78 81% 79% 4% 46% 82% No Response % 52% 2% 51% 47% Graph 3 Job openings that required more education are more likely to be full time. Only 43 percent of vacancies with no educational requirement were full-time positions compared to 72 percent of those jobs requiring a graduate degree. Oregon Coast Job by Hourly Wage, May 2008 $20.00 to $24.99 $15.00 to $19.99 $25.00 to $29.99 $30 and up Of the roughly 1,300 coastal vacancies that required no education, about 22 percent (280 jobs) required previous work experience, and 40 percent (510 jobs) required a license or certificate. Statewide, 71 percent of vacancies that required only a high school diploma or GED also required previous work experience. $10.00 to $14.99 $7.95 to $9.99 Table 5 Wage (per hour) Oregon Coast Job by Hourly Wage Range, May 2008 Full-time Permanent Total 2,429 53% 63% 2% 22% 48% 48% $ $9.99 1,164 44% 49% 1% 1% 43% 26% $10 - $ % 64% 5% 20% 34% 64% $15 - $ % 74% 12% 77% 44% 73% $20 - $ % 100% 0% 77% 85% 100% $25 - $ % 97% 6% 76% 86% 77% $30 and up 35 43% 77% 3% 80% 89% 94% Unspecified % 78% 0% 38% 53% 65% 4

5 Oregon Job October 2008 Of those coastal positions requiring higher education, most also required previous work experience which may make recruitment even more challenging for employers. Graph 4 Percentage of Total Openings by Wage Category, May 2008 Job by Wage Nearly 70 percent of the reported vacancies included information on wages offered. Within this group, job vacancies exist across all wage ranges. Over two-thirds of those job openings paid less than $10 an hour. Coastal job openings paying less than $15 an hour represented 86 percent of the vacancies with wage information, compared to 70 percent of openings statewide. 69% Oregon Coast 47% 24% 17% 10% 7% 8% 5% 5% 3% 4% 2% $ $9.99 $10 - $14.99 $15 - $19.99 $20 - $24.99 $25 - $29.99 $30 and up Not surprisingly, job openings that pay higher wages were much more likely to require post-secondary education. At least 80 percent of all job openings paying $30 an hour or more required some education beyond high school, compared to only 1 percent of jobs paying less than $10 an hour. Table 6 Job by Occupational Group Job openings exist in every occupational group. The group with the most vacancies was food preparation and serving; this includes occupations such as chefs, cooks, bartenders, wait staff, dishwashers, hosts and hostesses. This is con- sistent with the relatively large number of vacancies in the accommodation and food services industry. The second largest group production includes occupations common in the manufacturing industry. Statewide, the occupational groups with the largest number of job openings included healthcare practitio- Occupational Group Oregon Coast Job by Occupational Group, May 2008 Full-time Vacant 60+ Days All Occupational Groups 2,429 53% 19% 22% 48% 48% FoFood Preparation and Serving % 28% 0% 84% 35% O Production % 9% 0% 1% 8% SaHealthcare Practitioners and Technical % 16% 89% 96% 87% TrBuilding and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance % 35% 2% 7% 23% MOffice and Administrative Support % 6% 13% 19% 62% Fa, Training, and Library % 16% 76% 77% 87% P Sales and Related % 17% 13% 16% 43% EdTransportation and Material Moving 83 60% 12% 2% 35% 52% C Personal Care and Service 81 63% 10% 0% 2% 35% H Construction and Extraction 69 91% 30% 0% 9% 80% PeHealthcare Support 64 58% 22% 45% 61% 52% B Life, Physical, and Social Science 62 16% 10% 16% 48% 35% InManagement 60 77% 2% 67% 43% 98% A Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 55 13% 17% 27% 76% 64% B Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 52 69% 10% 13% 29% 58% C Architecture and Engineering 29 93% 48% 52% 72% 72% P Protective Service 26 73% 4% 0% 65% 8% A Business and Financial Operations 24 92% 38% 75% 58% 100% C Community and Social Services 20 70% 25% 95% 50% 70% Li Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 12 50% 0% 0% 17% 67% LeComputer and Mathematical 7 100% 57% 57% 57% 100% 5

6 ners and technical, food preparation and serving, and office and administrative support. A few occupational groups stand out as having an unusually high share of openings vacant for 60 days or longer, suggesting acute training or recruiting challenges in those fields: computer and mathematical; architecture and engineering; and business and financial operations. Statewide, the occupational groups with the greatest percentage of openings vacant 60 days or longer were construction and extraction, legal, personal care, healthcare support, and protective service. Conclusion The Spring 2008 survey of businesses in Clatsop, Coos, Curry, Lincoln, and Tillamook counties found an estimated 2,429 job vacancies, of which about one-fifth were unfilled for two or more months. Long-term vacancies were more common in computer and mathematical, architecture and engineering, and business and financial operations occupations. spanned a wide range of occupations, with maids and housekeeper positions topping the list with the most vacancies. Accommodation and food services, health care, manufacturing, and educational services had the most job vacancies, together making up three-fourths of all vacancies. Reports are also available for the following regions: Central Oregon/Columbia Gorge (Crook, Deschutes, Gilliam, Hood River, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Sherman, Wasco, and Wheeler counties) Eastern Oregon (Baker, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, and Wallowa counties) Oregon Coast (Clatsop, Coos, Curry, Lincoln, and Tillamook counties) Portland Metro Area (Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington and Yamhill counties in Oregon, plus Clark County in Washington) Southern Oregon (Douglas, Jackson, and Josephine counties) Willamette Valley (Benton, Lane, Linn, Marion, and Polk counties) Oregon statewide Large firms and those in the health care, educational services, and information industries were more likely to require education beyond high school. The coastal region s vacancies spanned a wide range of hourly wages, with 86 percent paying less than $15 per hour and just over one in ten paying $15 or more per hour. paying higher hourly wages were more likely to require education beyond high school. To request copies, contact lmipubs.emp@state.or.us or (503) Oregon Job Oregon Job is published by the Workforce & Economic Research Division of the Oregon Employment Department. Oregon Job can be found under Publications on OED s labor market information Web site, State of Oregon EMPLOYMENT DEPARTMENT 875 Union Street NE Salem, Oregon Laurie Warner, Director Graham Slater, Administrator for Workforce & Economic Research Production Team: Art Ayre Nick Beleiciks Jim Lee Paul Marche Mark Miller Jessica Nelson Kathi Riddell Graham Slater Address changes: Workforce & Economic Research 875 Union Street NE, Rm 207 Salem, OR or phone (503) , TDD , lmipubs.emp@state.or.us Material contained in this publication is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. Please credit Oregon Job, Oregon Employment Department. Any information on individual companies comes from nonconfidential published sources. WorkSource Oregon is an equal opportunity employer/program. WorkSource Oregon es un programa/empleador que respeta la igualdad de oportunidades. RSPUB (1008)