Department of Labor Posts Initial Results of Job Vacancy Survey

February 13, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 13, 2015
Media Contact: Julie Rabinowitz, 207-621-5009

Series of blog posts will analyze data on hiring trends, in-demand occupations and hard-to-fill jobs

AUGUSTA?The Department of Labor?s Center for Workforce Research and Information has posted its first in a series of blogs that will analyze and discuss the findings of its 2014 Job Vacancy Survey at http://cwri.blogspot.com/2015/02/job-vacancy-survey-provides-unique.html .

The survey was sent to 3,400 Maine businesses seeking feedback about hard-to-fill jobs. Seventy percent of those surveyed responded. Of nearly 2,400 responses, 755 (31%) indicated they had one or more job openings.

?Our state must ensure that businesses can find workers with the right skills for jobs in demand,? said Governor Paul R. LePage. ?Having better data on our economy and listening to employers will help us better target training programs and wisely use our limited resources. The survey illustrates Maine?s commitment to improving the quality of our workforce and making our state more competitive in the global economy.?

The survey asked employers whether they had job openings for which they were actively recruiting in the month of September and, if so, to briefly describe open positions and identify whether the positions are difficult to fill.

The sample was designed to develop findings by region: Aroostook-Washington, Tri County (Hancock, Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties), Central-Western (Androscoggin, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford and Somerset Counties), North Coastal (Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc and Waldo Counties), and South Coastal (Cumberland and York Counties); in classifications by employer size: small firms with employment of 2 to 19, mid-sized firms (20 to 99) and large firms (100 or more); and by industry (16 sectors).

The results of the survey will be analyzed in a series of blogs and then released in a final report. Upcoming blogs will examine characteristics of job vacancies in greater detail with the next topic focusing on job vacancies by industry.

The survey was paid for in part by the Department of Economic and Community Development to address the issues identified in the Workforce Opportunities Program. The Workforce Opportunities legislation approved last session requires DECD to work with the Department of Labor and industry partners to resolve the unmet employment needs of Maine?s businesses. The legislation did not identify the source of ?unmet need,? so the survey serves as an important initial information tool to establish a baseline.

CWRI develops and disseminates information on employment, unemployment and wages; analyzes outcomes of education and training programs to guide decision-making; and develops industry and occupational employment forecasts designed to guide career planning and curriculum development. They work with a wide range of customers to provide context to the dynamics of the economy and the implications those have for workforce development. CWRI publishes a variety of data on Maine?s economy, workforce and demographics at http://www.maine.gov/labor/cwri .

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