Job Vacancies in the Portland Tri-County Area Lynn Wallis, Workforce Analyst, (971)

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1 Oregon Job Job in the Portland Tri-County Area Lynn Wallis, Workforce Analyst, (971) October 2009 About the Survey Helping Oregonians find good jobs requires taking a close look at the staffing needs of the business community. 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 these companies having difficulty filling these positions? The spring 2009 Job Vacancy Survey was designed to help answer these questions. Thousands of firms in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties were contacted about their immediate workforce needs and the nature of current job openings. Essentially, we asked Portland-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. The effect of the current recession was evident in the 2009 survey results. Last year, the survey found 22,300 job vacancies in the Portland Tri-County area. This year it found only 8,575 a decrease of more than 60 percent. Although we have seen the demand for workers decline in this period of historically high unemployment, the results from the survey indicate there are still jobs available for qualified workers in a wide variety of occupations. Executive Summary In spring 2009, there were an estimated 8,575 job vacancies in the Portland area (Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties). One-tenth of those job vacancies went unfilled for two months or longer. Many occupations had vacancies. The 25 occupations with the most vacancies represented only 42 percent of all area job vacancies, suggesting that a wide range of occupations beyond just those 25 are going unfilled. From an industry perspective, health care and social assistance, educational services, accommodation and food services, and retail trade had the most job vacancies. Combined, these four industries represented 61 percent of all Portland-area vacancies. More than one-half of vacancies required education beyond high school and 45 percent required a license or certificate. There was a significant difference in educational requirements among particular industries. More than four out of five vacancies in the educational services, manufacturing, and professional and technical industries required postsecondary education. Conversely, fewer than one in five vacancies in accommodation and food services; retail trade; arts, entertainment and recreation; transportation and warehousing; and agriculture required postsecondary education. Of the vacancies with wage information reported, one-fourth paid a wage of at least $20 an hour, while 28 percent paid less than $10 an hour. Top 25 Jobs in Demand The top jobs in demand in the Portland area are spread across a wide range of occupations and skill levels. Registered nurses had, by far, the largest number of vacancies (451) representing 5 percent of all job vacancies. Personal and home care aides (235), and retail salespersons (224) each accounted for 3 percent of vacancies. For all other occupations, no single occupation represented over 2 percent of total job vacancies, indicating the wide range of positions in the area going unfilled. One-tenth of all job vacancies existed for 60 or more days. Occupations in personal care, social services, education, architecture and engineering, and health care had much higher rates of long-term vacancy. Job by Industry From an industry perspective, health care and social assistance, education, accommodation and food services, and retail trade industries had the most job vacancies. Combined, these four industries represented nearly two-thirds of all Portlandarea vacancies. Of all openings, 56 percent required education beyond high school and 45 percent required a license or certificate. The three industries requiring licenses or certificates most often included health care and social assistance; accommodation and food

2 Oregon Job October 2009 Table 1 Top 25 Occupations in the Portland Tri-County Area With the Highest Number of Job, Spring 2009 Share of Total Vacant 60+ Days Occupation All Occupations 8, % 10% Registered Nurses 451 5% 11% Personal and Home Care Aides 235 3% 26% Retail Salespersons 224 3% 9% Managers, All Other 190 2% 11% Postsecondary Teachers, Except Graduate Teaching Assistants 162 2% 51% Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants 162 2% 6% Cooks, Restaurant 155 2% 0% Physicians and Surgeons, All Other 153 2% 11% Customer Service Representatives 153 2% 0% Home Health Aides 143 2% 37% Waiters and Waitresses 132 2% 0% Cashiers 130 2% 3% Stock Clerks and Order Fillers 124 1% 0% Medical and Health Services Managers 120 1% 11% Food Preparation Workers 114 1% 0% Financial Managers 101 1% 0% Market Research Analysts 98 1% 4% Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 95 1% 0% Mental Health Counselors 94 1% 0% Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer 94 1% 0% Farmworkers and Laborers for Crops, Nurseries, and Greenhouses 93 1% 0% Janitors and Cleaners 89 1% 0% Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors 87 1% 85% Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 87 1% 0% Physical Therapists 82 1% 35% Table 2 Protland Tri-County Area Job by Industry, Spring 2009 Created Education Beyond All Industries 8,575 4% 56% 45% Health Care and Social Assistance 2,875 2% 71% 67% Educational Services 966 4% 84% 56% Accommodation and Food Services % 5% 77% Retail Trade 648 1% 14% 20% Finance and Insurance 431 2% 63% 12% Wholesale Trade 353 5% 50% 11% Administrative and Waste Services 334 0% 40% 18% Manufacturing 329 8% 88% 6% Other Services % 54% 28% Management of Companies 266 2% 63% 35% Professional and Technical 247 4% 91% 19% Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 235 0% 7% 42% Information 233 4% 64% 10% Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities 198 1% 15% 66% Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 126 0% 30% 18% Construction % 46% 8% Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing 108 0% 11% 4% services; and transportation, warehousing, and utilities. The industries with the highest percentage of openings requiring postsecondary education were educational services (84%) and health care and social assistance (71%). Only 5 percent of openings in accommodation and food services, 7 percent of openings in arts, entertainment, and recreation, and 11 percent of openings in agriculture, forestry, and fishing required education beyond a high school diploma. Only 4 percent of all job vacancies were newly created positions, suggesting that the vast majority of job openings were created by 2

3 Oregon Job October 2009 turnover as opposed to economic growth. New positions made up 17 percent of accommodation and food services jobs, the highest of any industry, followed by other services (12%), and construction (12%). Graph 1 80% Share of Portland Tri-County Area Job Education Beyond by Size of Firms, Spring 2009 Job by Size of Business The majority of vacancies were reported by companies with 100 to 249 employees (25%) and companies with 250 or more employees (38%). The largest companies also had a larger share of vacancies requiring education beyond high school and previous work experience. The overall job vacancy rate the number of vacancies divided by the number of filled jobs was 1.2 percent. Firms with fewer than 20 employees had an average vacancy rate under 0.8 percent, while firms Table 3 with 100 or more employees had a higher vacancy rate between 1.7 to 2.0 percent. Firms with 250 or more workers required education beyond high school for nearly three-quarters of their vacancies. Job vacancies at smaller companies were less likely to require an education beyond high school. Job by Education About 80 percent of the reported vacancies included information on educational requirements. Of these, 42 percent required at least some college. 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% Portland Tri-County Area Job by Firm Size, Spring 2009 Education Number of Vacancy Full-time Permanent Created Beyond High Previous Employees Rate* School Experience Total 8, % 71% 91% 4% 56% 45% 80% < % 65% 86% 0% 45% 19% 76% % 75% 94% 3% 28% 25% 78% % 60% 87% 4% 41% 41% 70% , % 60% 75% 12% 40% 52% 70% , % 75% 93% 5% 55% 33% 78% 250 & up 3, % 76% 98% 1% 74% 57% 88% * divided by employment in Fourth Quarter % Graph 2 Job 2,500 2,000 1,500 1, <10 10 to to to to and up Employees Portland Tri-County Area Job by Required Education, Spring 2009 No Requirement Assoc./Voc. Degree Some College Bachelor's Degree Graduate Degree Other 3

4 Oregon Job October 2009 Job openings that require more education are more likely to be full time. Only 37 percent of vacancies with no educational requirement were full-time positions compared to 90 percent of those jobs requiring a bachelor s degree. Table 4 Portland Tri-County Area Job by Required Education Level, Spring 2009 Created Previous Experience Required Education Level Full-time Permanent Total 8,575 71% 91% 4% 45% 80% No Requirement 1,629 37% 78% 11% 40% 34% 1,387 71% 91% 2% 24% 75% Some College % 90% 7% 33% 84% Assoc/Voc. Degree % 88% 7% 42% 95% Bachelor's Degree 2,111 90% 96% 4% 41% 98% Graduate Degree % 94% 6% 68% 95% Other % 96% 1% 93% 95% No Response 1,707 82% 96% 1% 43% 90% Of the roughly 1,630 vacancies that had no educational requirement, about 554 vacancies (34%) required previous work experience. Job by Wage Information on wages offered was included for 50 percent of the reported vacancies. Within this group, nearly two-thirds (62%) of those job openings paid from $8.40 to $14.99 an hour, while 25 percent paid $20 or more an hour. Graph 3 $25.00 to $29.99 $20.00 to $24.99 Portland Tri-County Area Job by Hourly Wage, Spring 2009 $30 and up $8.40 to $9.99 Not surprisingly, job openings that pay higher wages were much more likely to require postsecondary education. Ninety percent or more of all job openings paying $20 an hour or more required some education beyond high school, compared to only 5 percent of jobs paying less than $10 an hour. $15.00 to $19.99 $10.00 to $14.99 Table 5 Wage (per hour) Portland Tri-County Area Job by Hourly Wage Range, Spring 2009 Full-time Permanent Created Education Beyond Previous Experience Total 8,575 71% 91% 4% 56% 45% 80% $ $9.99 1,192 35% 72% 10% 5% 43% 37% $10 - $ ,471 63% 92% 0% 32% 35% 74% $15 - $ % 97% 5% 71% 40% 96% $20 - $ % 97% 4% 90% 66% 97% $25 - $ % 98% 2% 99% 84% 99% $30 and up % 100% 5% 96% 76% 100% Unspecified 4,265 83% 94% 4% 69% 43% 86% 4

5 Oregon Job October 2009 Job by Occupational Group Job openings were seen in every occupational group. The group with the most vacancies was healthcare practitioners and technical at almost 1,450 vacancies. This group includes occupations such as dentists, physicians, and registered nurses and is consistent with the relatively large number of vacancies in the health care and social assistance industry seen elsewhere in this report. The second largest group management cuts across almost every industry and had over 900 vacancies. Graph 4 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% Portland Tri-County Area Share of Job Education Beyond by Hourly Wage Range, Spring 2009 A few occupational groups stood out as having a relatively high percentage of openings vacant for 60 days or longer. These hard to fill occupations were in healthcare, community and social services, education, personal care, and architecture and engineering. 0% $8.40 to $9.99 $10.00 to $14.99 $15.00 to $19.99 Nearly three-fourths (71%) of all job vacancies were for full-time positions. The highest share of full-time vacancies was reported in management; architecture and engineering; computer and mathematical; and life, physical, and social science occupational groups. Most of these full-time positions required postsecondary $20.00 to $24.99 $25.00 to $29.99 $30 and up education and previous work experience. The occupational groups with mostly part-time vacancies included food preparation and serving; community and social services; and farming, fishing, and forestry. Table 6 Portland Tri-County Area Job by Occupational Group, Spring 2009 Full-time Vacant 60+ Days Education Beyond Previous Experience All Occupation Groups 8,575 71% 10% 56% 45% 80% Healthcare Practitioners and Technical 1,446 69% 13% 90% 93% 97% Management % 12% 85% 27% 98% Office and Administrative Support % 1% 24% 5% 69% Food Preparation and Serving % 0% 7% 96% 61% Sales and Related % 8% 14% 10% 60% Healthcare Support % 17% 58% 70% 72% Business and Financial Operations % 12% 70% 23% 80% Community and Social Services % 21% 38% 47% 66% Education, Training, and Library % 18% 73% 63% 86% Personal Care and Service % 23% 66% 28% 95% Architecture and Engineering % 18% 77% 16% 84% Transportation and Material Moving % 1% 6% 67% 45% Computer and Mathematical % 7% 98% 13% 97% Installation, Maintenance, and Repair % 0% 38% 20% 88% Life, Physical, and Social Science % 9% 100% 22% 99% Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance % 0% 7% 5% 70% Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media % 8% 51% 15% 83% Production % 8% 52% 36% 89% Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 97 15% 0% 7% 1% 15% Construction and Extraction 63 51% 6% 32% 59% 48% Legal 23 91% 0% 100% 52% 91% Protective Service 23 88% 0% 21% 49% 92% 5

6 Oregon Job October 2009 Conclusion The spring 2009 survey of businesses in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties found an estimated 8,575 job vacancies, of which one-tenth had been unfilled for two or more months. Long-term vacancies were most common in personal care, community and social services, architecture and engineering, education, and healthcare occupations. spanned a wide range of occupations, with registered nurses, personal and home care aides, and retail salespersons topping the list. Industries with the most job vacancies included health care and social assistance, educational services, accommodation and food services, and retail trade. These four sectors made up 61 percent of all vacancies in the area. Large firms (250 employees and more), high-wage openings, and professional related industries were more likely to require education beyond high school. The Portland area s vacancies spanned a wide range of hourly wages, with 28 percent paying less than $10 per hour and one-fourth paying $20 or more per hour. Nearly all vacancies paying hourly wages of $25 or more required education beyond high school. Reports are available for the following regions: Central Coast/Willamette Valley (Benton, Lane, Lincoln, and Linn counties) Clackamas County 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) Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties Northwest Oregon (Columbia, Clatsop, and Tillamook counties) Portland Tri-County (Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties) Southwest Oregon (Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, and Josephine counties) Statewide To view the Job in Oregon reports, go to the Publications page at 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, Laurie Warner, Director Graham Slater, Administrator for Workforce & Economic Research Production Team: Nick Beleiciks Brooke Jackson-Winegardner 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 (1009) 6