Saint Louis
Job News & Opportunities
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Missouri Job Vacancy Report Reveals Workforce Needs
ST. LOUIS (SLFP.com), July 5, 2009 - The Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) has announced the release of the Missouri Job Vacancy Survey 2008 (JVS). The survey, develoÂped by DED's Division of Workforce Development (DWD), Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC), and in conjunction with the University of Missouri - St. Louis (UMSL) provides information about the quantity and quality of job vacancies in the state and at 10 regional levels.
In the second survey of its kind, the Missouri Job Vacancy Survey 2008 gathered responses from employers about job vacancies. In the 13-question survey, employers are asked about the type of skills or competencies required for job vacancies; benefits and incentives offered for openings; education and experience levels required; and shortcomings of recent applicants. Job vacancy data is also available at an occupation and industry level.
The health care and social assistance industries had the highest number of vacancies. Contained within this industry are three of the top 10 statewide occupations Ð registered nurses (4,560); nursing aides, orderlies and attendants (1,448); and child care workers (1,202). The industry with the second most vacancies was the accommodation and food services industry, which contains two of the top three occupations - combined food preparation (4,584) and serving and waiters/waitresses (4,160).
Results from the Missouri JVS 2008 include:
- A skill gap between a competency important for a vacancy and a corresponding shortcoming of applicants existed for interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills was the competency employers answered was the most important. While employers said it was an important competency for 85 percent of all job vacancies, they also responded that applicants had shortcomings in similar skill areas, such as lack of positive attitude (63 percent), poor customer service skills (58 percent), poor work ethic (57 percent), and poor communication skills (54 percent), indicating a clear skill gap in this area.
- Employer feedback about education levels and the level of difficulty to fill openings revealed that the higher the education level required for a job vacancy, the easier it was to fill that vacancy and vice-versa. For vacancies requiring at least a 4-year college degree or some type of certification, employers had either some or great difficulty filling the openings for just 34 percent of vacancies. For those vacancies which required a high school diploma or less, employers answered they had some or great difficulty filling those openings for 58 percent of vacancies.
- As workforce production becomes more automated and skill specific, certain skills will be necessary to fit workers to these jobs. Comparing employer responses from the 2007 survey to the Missouri JVS 2008 reflect this pattern, as certain applicant shortcomings had significant percentage increases. Percent increases occurred from one year to the next of employer responses for the following applicant shortcomings: poor technical skills (18 percent vs. 32 percent), poor writing skills (14 percent vs. 23 percent), lack of computer skills (10 percent vs. 21 percent), and poor basic math skills (10 percent vs. 21 percent).
"It is critical that we do everything that we can to help match employers with the best employees possessing the highest and most desired level of skill competencies," DED Director Linda Mart’nez said. "This survey will be an invaluable tool in Gov. Nixon's efforts to put more Missourians back to work and help the state's economy to rebound in the midst of this recession."
Continued Next Column
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Life Skills Offers Positions Helping People with Developmental Disabilities
ST. LOUIS (PRNewswire), June 23, 2009 - Life Skills, a local non-profit that helps people with developmental disabilities to live and work in the community, is hosting a Job Fair to fill numerous rewarding positions. The organization has about 1500 hours of work available.
A Job Fair will be held, Thursday, July 16, 2009, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Life Skills, 10176 Corporate Square Dr., Suite 100.
Since Life Skills provides life-long services for people with developmental disabilities, there is a high level of job security. The available positions start at a minimum of $9.25 per hour. Full-time employees receive 26 paid days off a year in their first year, and full benefits after only two full months of employment.
To guarantee an interview spot the day of the job fair, please send in an application ahead of time. Applications can be downloaded at www.lifeskills-stl.org and mailed to Life Skills' corporate office or faxed to 314-567-4789. For more information on the job fair, please call 314-567-7705.
Archived Stories:
 $500 Million in Grants to Train Workers for Green Jobs
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79% of Americans Feel Secure in Their Jobs Despite Rises in Joblessness
Workers Whose Companies Have Experienced Layoffs Reported They are Burned Out
Applying the 'So What?' Filter Can Help Job Seekers and the Newly Self-Employed
Unemployment Rate Drops in Missouri During April 2009
What Keeps Network Administrators Up At Night?
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