nrural resort orthwest region - · pdf fileemail: [email protected] ... vicki netherland analyst...

C O L O R A D O

C E N T E R

Job Vacancy SurveyApril 2002

Clear CreekEagleGarfieldGilpinGrandJackson

LakeMoffatPitkinRio BlancoRoutt &Summit

Workforce Research & AnalysisLabor Market InformationColorado Department of Labor and Employment

orthwest Rural ResortRegion&N

Counties

Northwest &Rural Resort RegionJob Vacancy Survey

ConductedJanuary 28 - February 4, 2002

State of ColoradoBill Owens, Governor

Colorado Department of Labor & EmploymentVickie Armstrong, Executive Director

Jeffrey M. Wells, Deputy Executive Director

Funding Provided in Part byThe Colorado Workforce Development Council

April 2002

Workforce Research & AnalysisLabor Market InformationTwo Park Central, Suite 3001515 Arapahoe StreetDenver, CO 80202-2117

(303) 318-8890Email: [email protected]

www.coworkforce.com/lmi/wra/home.htm

ContentsIntroduction ................................................................................................1How to Use This Report ............................................................................2

Employers ........................................................................................2Job Seekers ......................................................................................3Workforce Centers ............................................................................3Economic Developers ......................................................................3Caveats..............................................................................................4

Executive Summary....................................................................................5Northwest & Rural Resort Region..............................................................6

The Job Vacancy Survey Sample ....................................................10Data Collection ..............................................................................11

Vacancies:Industry, Size and Status ................................................................12Education and Experience Requirements ......................................16Difficulty to Fill ..............................................................................19Medical Insurance ..........................................................................21Sign-On Bonus ................................................................................21

Occupations ..............................................................................................22Methodology ............................................................................................31

Computer Assisted Telephone Interview ........................................31Survey Sample Methodology ..........................................................32Data Editing....................................................................................32Occupational Coding ......................................................................32Wage Conversion ............................................................................32

Definitions ................................................................................................33

The Office of Workforce Research and Analysis would like toextend sincerest gratitude to all area employers who partici-pated in this study. The analysis provided in this documentwould not be possible without their help.

1. Population by County ......................................................................................62. Unemployment Rates for February 2002........................................................73. Northwest & Rural Resort Region Employers & Employees, 1st Quarter, 2001 ..84. Employment & Labor Force Trends for the Northwest & Rural Resort Region....95. Estimated Vacancies by Industry Group ......................................................126. Average Wages by Industry Group................................................................137. Estimated Vacancies by Size Class ..............................................................148. Average Wages by Size Class........................................................................149. Vacancies by Status........................................................................................15

10. Average Wages by Status ..............................................................................1511. Proportion of Vacancies by Education ..........................................................1612. Average Wages by Education ........................................................................1713. Vacancies by Experience ..............................................................................1714. Average Wages by Experience ......................................................................1815. Difficulty to Fill ............................................................................................1916. Average Wages by Difficulty to Fill..............................................................1917. Vacancies by Time Open for Hire ................................................................2018. Average Wages by Time Open for Hire ........................................................2019. Employer’s Contribution to Medical Insurance ..........................................2120. Average Wages by Medical Insurance ..........................................................2121. Sign-On Bonus ..............................................................................................2122. Proportion of Actual Vacancies by Major Occupational Group ..................2223. Average Wages by Major Occupational Group ............................................23

1. Industry Categories ..................................................................................102. Experience Requirements by Educational Level ......................................183. Job Vacancy Survey Occupations with OES Wages ................................24

List of Figures

List of Tables

1Job Vacancy Survey

The unemployment rate, along with the leveland growth rate of employment, has beenused as an indicator of labor market condi-

tions for decades. While this indicator providesinformation about changes in the supply anddemand for labor, it reveals nothing about the skillsmost sought after by employers. As such, individu-als preparing themselves for the job market havedone so with limited knowledge of what skills arenecessary to successfully compete in the contempo-rary labor market. Employers have had an equallydifficult time determining appropriate compensationlevels due to a limited knowledge of what similarfirms in their region are currently offering.

Job seekers and employers, as well asWorkforce Centers and economic developersneed more than a measure of demand for work-ers at a specific point in time. They also need ameasure of where in the economy that demand is locat-ed and what education and experience levels are mostpreferred. The Colorado Department of Labor andEmployment (CDLE) developed the Job VacancySurvey (JVS) to meet this need. The JVS is designed toprovide a snapshot estimate of job vacancies along withdetailed information and analysis on accompanyingwages, skill requirements and work experience.

The CDLE’s survey unit collects original data byconducting phone interviews with a representative

sample of employers in a given region. The depart-ment’s economists analyze the raw data, estimate thenumber of vacancies in the area and publish the reportwithin weeks of the original data collection, providinga timely portrait of the employment situation.

The survey is funded by a grant from the U.S.Department of Labor’s Employment and TrainingAdministration. The survey is produced by LaborMarket Information’s office of Workforce Research andAnalysis for each region in Colorado.

IntroductionColorado Job Vacancy Survey Regions

This publication is a product of the Colorado Departmentof Labor and Employment’s Labor Market InformationSection, Bill LaGrange-Director. This report was pre-pared by LMI’s office of Workforce Research andAnalysis. Members of this unit are:

Senior Economist: Alexandra E. HallEconomists: Yasir Ahmed

Sonya GuramSteven Krichbaum

Paul PaezMichael Patton

Wande Reweta, Ph.D.Leora Starr

Statistical Analyst: Joseph WinterProgram Assistant: Dionne M. FreyGraphic Artists: Martha Cooper

Vicki Netherland

Analyst for this report: Sonya Guram

Material in this publication is in the public domain and,with appropriate credit, may be reproduced withoutpermission. Please reference: Colorado Departmentof Labor and Employment, Labor Market Information,Workforce Research and Analysis.This report is published semi-annually. Comments,suggestions, and questions regarding content andformat are welcome and may be addressed to:

Workforce Research & AnalysisLabor Market InformationColorado Department of Labor & EmploymentTwo Park Central, Suite 3001515 Arapahoe Street,Denver, CO 80202-2117

Email: [email protected] (303) 318-8890

www.coworkforce.com/lmi/wra/home.htm

With the analysis of labor market conditions,many questions regarding labor demand andsupply, as well as labor skills requirements,

often arise...

� Is there a labor shortage in the region?� If so, what types of labor are in short supply?� Is there a shortage of skills?� What skills are necessary to fill current vacancies?

The answers to these and similar questions areimportant in the decision-making processes ofemployers, employees, job seekers, trainers, and plan-ning officials. While Labor Market Information (LMI)provides data on the local labor force supply, the JobVacancy Survey complements this by providing infor-mation about the demand for labor and offers a morecomplete picture of local labor markets.

2 Northwest & Rural Resort Region

How to Use This Report

The Job Vacancy Survey measures the area’s currentvacancies along with education and experience

requirements. This report can serve as a strategic plan-ning tool in the following areas:

� Employee Recruitment—If findings indicate that employers have had posi-tions open for a significant period of time, andcompensation is sufficient, one might deduce ashortage of applicants in the area. Therefore,recruitment efforts could be focused outside of theregion in areas where the necessary skills are morelikely to be found.

� Employee Training—A firm may also choose to increase investment intraining for their current employees instead ofexpanding recruitment efforts.

� Compensation and Benefits Planning—The Job Vacancy Survey provides wages offeredfor surveyed job openings. Tables in this report alsodetail current wages by occupation fromOccupational Employment Statistics data. Togetherthese pieces of information can be used to developwage guidelines for compensation practices.

� New Site Selection—Employers considering relocating or expanding tothe area can study the survey and determine howeasily the company’s employment needs will bemet by reviewing current vacancies. Companiesneed a sufficient, qualified labor pool to operate.High labor demand within a particular industrysegment along with indications of difficulty fillingthese positions should caution a firm requiring asimilar labor profile.

Employers

3Job Vacancy Survey

The Job Vacancy Survey is designed to aidColorado’s Workforce Centers and other job place-

ment organizations. As Workforce Centers serve jobseekers and employers, the report acts as a handy ref-erence for information on current vacancies, positionrequirements, wages and benefits offered, seasonalemployment trends, and dominant regional industries.Workforce Center representatives can increase place-ment success by directing job seekers toward highdemand occupations and industries.

Public officials, educational institutions, and gov-ernment agencies can use this survey information

to effectively apply resources to education, training,and job placement programs.

While this report is a picture of the area’s currentemployment needs and historical seasonal patterns,other Labor Market Information products provide pro-jections of occupational growth and anticipated open-ings (www.coworkforce.com/lmi/oeo/oeo.htm). Theprojections highlight growing as well as decliningoccupations. Investments in the workforce can bedirected toward occupations or industries that continu-ously contribute to the local economy or to thosewhere there is a constant need for workers.

Economic development professionals can use theJob Vacancy Survey to track the labor situation in

key industries and evaluate the area’s economicgrowth and development potential. The survey resultshelp determine where bottlenecks may occur shouldcurrent vacancies persist. Economic developers can

also generate a comprehensive picture of the region bydetermining where current labor demand stands today,as identified by the survey, and where the local marketis trending using Labor Market Information’s employ-ment projections.

Workforce Centers

Economic Developers

The Job Vacancy Survey provides job seekers witha broad view of which industries are hiring, which

occupations are in demand along with currentlyoffered salaries and benefits, and what education andexperience levels are required. This report is aroadmap that can be used to determine where the bestpaying jobs are given an individual’s skills and levelof education. Job seekers can also use Labor Market

Information’s occupational projections, which providea long-term outlook of occupational demand, alongwith the survey, which illustrates the current level ofdemand in the local job market to determine how cur-rent employment opportunities can contribute to theirlong-term career goals. Career minded individuals cantailor education, training, and work-experience to fitfuture high-demand positions.

Job Seekers


The Job Vacancy Survey statistics are indicators ofthe demand for workers in the region and should

not be interpreted as actual values. We rely on infor-mation from surveyed companies to obtain a represen-tative sample of institutions and the occupations thatfuel them. Not all surveyed firms participate; however,the employers who do participate enable the produc-tion of statistically reliable results.

The study provides estimates of job openings for apoint-in-time; they do not necessarily portray the dis-tribution of job vacancies in the region. This reportdoes not attempt to explain the cause of vacancies—whether these current vacancies are due to actualgrowth or to job turnover in an occupation. Readersshould also keep in mind that the authors are notattempting to project the level of vacancies into thefuture. Be aware that events having occurred sincethe time period analyzed such as plant closings orthe migration of people in and out of the area might

significantly affect the vacancy status of some occupa-tions. Job openings are very dynamic – current open-ings are being filled, new positions are being created,and some roles are being phased-out.

Occupational demand is subject to seasonal changesand affected by business cycles. For example, thereader would want to be aware that a decrease invacancies for construction workers from April toNovember could represent seasonal variations, notnecessarily a long-term decrease in the demand forsuch workers. When several years of survey data havebeen collected, we may be able to identify patternsthat more accurately reflect changing labor marketconditions. Regional surveys are timed to make thesecomparisons possible.

Given the caveats, appropriate application by theuser is a key element in this report being a useful toolfor job vacancy analysis.

Caveats

5Job Vacancy Survey

Executive Summary

The second Northwest & Rural Resort JobVacancy Survey (JVS) was conducted betweenJanuary 28th and February 4th, 2002. The goal

of the survey is to obtain knowledge about current jobmarket conditions in this Colorado region. A randomsample of small to mid-size private employers with atleast five employees is contacted over the survey period.The survey unit also attempts to interview all large

employers and government agencies in the region.Employers are asked about current hiring activity.

A total of 730 employers, representing approximatelyone-quarter of the region’s total employment, respondedto the survey. Of these, 88 were government agencies,56 were large employers and 586 were small to mid-sized employers. The survey had a 64% effectiveresponse rate. The major findings of the survey follow:

� An estimated 940 jobs were available for hire during the survey period, coincidingwith a 0.8% vacancy rate.

� Thirteen percent of the surveyed employers reported job vacancies.

� Small to mid-size employers account for 74% of the estimated vacancies.

� Eighty-five percent of the openings are permanent, full-time positions.

� The average wage for all reported vacancies is $15.30 per hour. The average wageoffered for government openings is higher than that for private sector jobs.

� Forty-three percent of the openings require more than a high-school education.

� Over 60% of the vacancies require experience either in or related to the vacantoccupation.

� According to employer responses, 25% of the vacancies are considered verydifficult to fill.

� One-third of surveyed firms offered medical premium coverage with their openpositions.


Northwest & Rural Resort Region

The Northwest & Rural Resort (NW&RR) regionencompasses a large geographic area. Theeconomic drivers and concerns vary from

county to county and even within counties.The region is generally characterized by itsmountainous terrain, and wealth of naturalresources – from minerals to grazinglands to recreational opportunities.Much of the land area is publiclyowned.

Many northwest counties have seenmining and ranching jobs fade as higherlevels of productivity have reduced theneed for worker-hours, mineral reserveshave been depleted, environmentalconcerns have curbed land use, and theeconomic base has diversified to otherindustries. Currently, only 3% of theregion’s workers are employed in the agri-culture and mining sectors. Some areas havebeen adversely affected by these changes whileothers have capitalized on the wealth of naturalresources as a magnet for tourism and recreation.The NW&RR region is home to the state’s largestski resort complexes, accounting for a vast majorityof the state’s skier days.

Twelve counties compose this region. Tourism is asignificant force behind the economies of ClearCreek, Eagle, Grand, Pitkin, Summit, and Lake coun-ties. Garfield, Moffat, Routt, and Jackson benefitfrom mining, ranching, and farming along withtourism. Gilpin has emerged as a gaming center andbedroom community—about 80% of the workingresidents commute out of the county to work. Asignificant majority of Rio Blanco’s residents areemployed in services.

The Northwest & Rural Resort Region has wel-comed many new residents over the past decade.

Summit

12%

Garfield

22%

Routt

10%

Eagle

21%

Lake

4%

Gilpin

2%

Clear Creek

5%

Pitkin

7%

Grand

6%

Jackson

1%

Moffat

7%

Rio Blanco

3%

Figure 1: Population by County

U.S. Census Bureau,2000 Census

The 2000 census tallied the area’s population at198,640, a 47% increase since 1990. Colorado’spopulation grew 31% over the same period. Theregion’s population is concentrated in Garfield,Eagle, and Summit counties along the I-70 corridor.Over the ten-year census period, Eagle county’spopulation grew 90% while Summit county’sexpanded by more than 80%. Grand and Gilpincounties’ growth exceeded 50% over the decade.Rio Blanco and Jackson, already lightly populated,both experienced a slight decline in population.

7Job Vacancy Survey

ColoradoStatewide

5.8%

Northwest &Rural Resort

4.2%

(Rates Not Seasonally Adjusted)Figure 2: Unemployment Rates for February 2002

The region’s labor force is estimated at 115,277 forFebruary of 2002. Of these 110,425 were employed inthe Northwest & Rural Resort area. The region’s

unemployment rate of 4.2% is lower than both that ofthe state and the U.S rate of 5.5% reported by theBureau of Labor Statistics for February of 2002.

Source: CDLE, Local Area Unemployment Statistics


4%

21%

11%

32%

11%

4%

24%

7%

44%

6%

21%

2%

3%

2%

1%

3%

1%

1%

2%

1%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

Agriculture

Mining

Construction

Manufacturing

TCPU

Wholesale Trade

Retail Trade

FIRE

Services

Government

Employers Employment

Figure 3: Northwest & Rural Resort RegionEmployers & Employees, 1st Quarter, 2001

Source: Colorado Employmentand Wages (ES-202)

Agriculture includes Forestry and FishingFIRE–Finance, Insurance, and Real EstateTCPU–Transportation, Communication and Public Utilities

Area establishments have been categorized into theten major Standard Industrial Classifications (SIC) toprovide a better picture of the industries that drive theNorthwest & Rural Resort economy. First quarter2001 statistics reveal that 44% of the wage and salaryemployment in the region is in the Services sector.Retail trade accounts for another 24% of jobs.

Looking at Major Group Industries within the SICclassification, amusement and recreation businessesemploy the most people in the services sector followedby hotels and lodging establishments. Almost 50% ofthe people working in retail trades are employed ineating and drinking establishments. Each of theseindustries is bolstered by area tourism.

The number of employers in the Services sector isactually dominated by Business Service organizationsand Engineering, Accounting, Research, and

Management firms. These businesses are often sole-proprietorships or employ only a few professionals.

Like the rest of Colorado, Services and Retail Tradeare major economic drivers. The Northwest & RuralResort region’s economy is in fact more dependent onServices, Retail Trade, and Construction than the restof the state. Combined, these industries make up 74%of the region’s employers and 79% of the employ-ment. The strength of the construction industry isreflective of the area’s population growth.

Wholesale Trade and Manufacturing play a smallerrole in the NW&RR economy than they do in the stateas a whole. FIRE is the abbreviation for the Finance,Insurance, and Real Estate industries; TCPU representsthe Transportation, Communications, Electric, Gas, andSanitary Service industries. Both hold a similar positionin the regional economy as they do in the state.

9Job Vacancy Survey

The chart below illustrates the historical progressionof both the region’s labor force and employment levels.The upward trends of the lines demonstrate the growthin both the labor force and employment since 1995.Employment has grown 14.0% in the region and 13.9%in the state from February 1995 to February 2002.

The graph also provides a visual representation ofunemployment. Unemployment is represented by thegap between the labor force and the employment lines;the larger the distance between the two lines, thegreater the number of unemployed. Unemploymenttends to peak in May each year; it hit a high for thistime-span of 7.8% in May 1995. The lowest unem-ployment rate in this timeframe was observed inAugust 2000 at 2.2%.

Figure 4 also reveals a seasonal trend in the region’slabor market. Both the labor force and the employ-ment level peak in the 1st and 3rd quarters each year.The labor force surges as people migrate to the areafor the prime recreation months. The ski industryboosts population and employment in the 1st quarterwhile myriad summer recreation options bring peopleto the Northwest & Rural Resort region in the 3rdquarter of the year. Employment expands at a slowerrate while the newcomers who have augmented thelabor force numbers look for work. The Job VacancySurvey is conducted semi-annually in winter andsummer in order to measure the demand for labor atpeak periods.

Ju

l-01

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l-00

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l-95

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2Feb-0

1

Feb-0

0

Feb-9

9

Feb-9

8

Feb-9

7

Feb-9

6

Feb-9

5

80,000

85,000

90,000

95,000

100,000

105,000

110,000

115,000

120,000

Ja

n-9

5

Apr

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l-95

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Apr

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l-96

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0

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l-00

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n-0

1

Apr

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l-01

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n-0

2

Labor Force Employment

Figure 4: Employment & Labor Force Trends for the Northwest & Rural Resort Region

Source: CDLE, Local Area Unemployment Statistics


The Job Vacancy Survey Sample

The second Northwest & Rural Resort regionalsurvey was conducted from January 28th

through February 4th, 2002. For the purpose of thisreport, employers with five or more employees(5,259 in the region) are referred to as the “sampleuniverse.” Although firms with less than fiveemployees account for about 60% of the region’semployers, they only represent 15% of the totalemployment. The possibility of employing statisti-cal methods to estimate vacancies for this group iscurrently being explored.

The Job Vacancy Survey first separates employers fromthis sample universe into government or private indus-try classifications. Next, private firms are split intolarge (more than 150 employees) and small to mid-size(from 5 to 149 employees) categories. The remainingsmall to mid-size firms are split into goods and serviceproducing industries, and a random sample of each cat-egory is contacted. The survey unit attempts to contactall government and large employers in the region.

Eleven percent of the sample universe employmentis represented by government entities, including publicschools. Large private employers represent 17% whilesmall to mid-size firms account for 72% of theemployment. The survey included responses from 730employers representing 14% of all those with five ormore employees in the Northwest & Rural Resortregion; those surveyed provide employment for 23%of employed people in the region. Of these respon-dents, 88 were government, 56 were large employersand 586 were from the small to mid-sized category.

As there are not a sufficient number of regional firmsin each of the Standard Industrial Classification cate-gories to support job vacancy estimates at this detailedlevel, the industrial classifications are grouped intobroader Goods and Service Producing segments. Goodsproducing firms represent 13% of the sample universe;233 of these were contacted during the survey period.Service businesses comprise 84% of the sample universe;409 provided information for the Job Vacancy Survey.The survey also included 88 government entities.

Table 1: Industry Categories

Goods Producing Industries Service Producing IndustriesTransportation, Communications, and

Public UtilitiesWholesale TradeRetail TradeFinance, Insurance, and Real EstateServices (including Agricultural Services)

Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing (exceptAgricultural Services)

Mining ConstructionManufacturing

Private Industry

GovernmentPublic Administration

11Job Vacancy Survey

Data for the Job Vacancy Survey is collected using aComputer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI)

process. While this system of data collection has been inuse in the public sector for several years, Colorado is thefirst state in the nation to pioneer the use of CATI datacollection for the Job Vacancy Survey.

Professional interviewers, trained in economic data collec-tion processes, gather information from a call center locatedin the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. Thisinterview process results in increased control over thesurvey process, better accuracy, and dependable results.

Employers are asked if they have job vacancies oropen positions which they are actively seeking to fill.

Those that are actively hiring are then asked to providemore detail about each position—compensation offered,levels of education and experience required, and theemployer’s perceived difficulty in filling the vacancyalong with the number of days the position has beenopened. Employers are also asked if sign-on bonuses andhealth insurance coverage are offered for these positions.These data are collected in addition to the minimum andmaximum wages in order to describe more fully thecompensation offered.

The survey is conducted so as to ensure the statisticalintegrity of this report. When necessary, employers arecontacted a second time to clarify responses.

Data Collection


Vacancies: Industry, Size and Status

During the survey period, an estimated 940vacancies were open for immediate hire infirms with at least five employees in the

Northwest & Rural Resort Region. The overall regionemployment is estimated at approximately 112,000resulting in an estimated vacancy rate of 0.8%.

This survey was conducted during a peak period inthe labor force trend with a demand for jobs to supportthe winter ski industry. Just as the majority of theregion’s employers and employees are in the serviceproducing industries, so are the current job vacancies.The service producing industries represent 84% of the

region’s firms, account for 79% of the employmentand 82% of the vacancies.

Goods producing industries account for 13% ofregional businesses, 10% of the jobs and 8% of thevacancies. Fewer vacancies in goods producing indus-tries may be explained by weak growth in the area’smanufacturing, agriculture, and mining jobs, alongwith lower job turnover rates.

Three percent of employers, 11% of employment and10% of open positions fall into the government sector.

9080

770

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Service ProducingIndustries

Goods ProducingIndustries

Government

Figure 5: Estimated Vacancies by Industry Group


Government

$0 $5 $10 $15 $20

JVS Wage - Average Minimum / Average Maximum$0 $5 $10 $15 $20

Service Producing Industries

Goods Producing Industries

$25

$25

Figure 6: Average Wages by Industry Group

Wages reflect labor force supply and demand alongwith the skill and experience requirements for occupa-tions. Seventy-six percent of employers surveyed pro-vided minimum and maximum wages offered for thevacancies they reported. The overall mid-point wagefor vacancies in this survey is $15.30.

Vacancies reported in the government categoryoffered higher wages than in either the service orgoods producing industries.


Government (All Sizes)

$0 $5 $10 $15

JVS Wage - Average Minimum / Average Maximum$0 $5 $10 $15

Large Employers

Small to Mid-Size Employers

$20 $25

$20 $25

Figure 8: Average Wages by Size Class

90

700

150

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Large Employers Small to Mid-Size Employers Government (All Sizes)

Figure 7: Estimated Vacancies by Size Class

This chart displays wages offered for surveyed jobvacancies. Again, government organizations offer thehighest wages, followed by large employers, then

small to mid-size. Keep in mind that each of theseemployer size categories represents a range of indus-tries and occupations offered.

The survey labels employers as government, large,or small to mid-size based on ownership and the num-ber of people they employ. Notice how the estimatedvacancies are skewed to the small to mid-size employ-er group. The job vacancy rate for both the govern-ment and large employer groups is close to 0.8%. Jobseekers will likely find more employment opportuni-ties with small to mid-size firms where the vacancyrate is about 1.7%, and where there are more employ-ers and more current employment.

Of those employers with more than five employeessmall to mid-size firms represent 96% of the firms,72% of the employment, and 74% of the estimatedvacancies. Large employers (represented by the 1stbar in Figure 7) account for only 1% of the firms, butprovide 17% of the existing jobs and offer 16% of thevacancies. Government represents 3% of the employers,11% of employment and 10% of the job openings.


Part-time/Permanent

$0 $5 $10 $15 $20

JVS Wage - Average Minimum / Average Maximum

$0 $5 $10 $15 $20

Part-time/Temporary

Full-time/Temporary

Full-time/Permanent

Figure 10: Average Wages by StatusFull-time/

Permanentpositions notonly accountfor the majorityof vacancies,but also offerthe highestwages.

For a great majority of the surveyed vacancies, Full-time/Permanent status is offered. Permanent employ-ment does not seem to fit with the highly seasonalemployment trend noted in Figure 4, but some-times employers offer positions knowing thatturn-over in certain occupations is high.

The American Staffing Associationreported a dramatic increase in tempo-rary employment in the U.S. over thedecade, 1990 to 2000; daily temporaryemployment grew 157%. Temporaryworkers provide a cost effective andproductive solution to certain staffingneeds, but most vacancies are still filledpermanently. Nine percent of reportedvacancies were for temporary positions thatmay be seasonal or contract in nature.

Part-time/

Temporary

6%

Part-time/

Permanent

6%

Full-time/

Temporary

3%

Full-time/Permanent

85%

Figure 9:Vacancies by Status


Vacancies: Education and Experience Requirements

21%

36%

22%

9%

8%

4%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

No Diploma

High School/GED

VocationalTraining/Certification

Two-Year Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Advanced Degree

Figure 11: Proportion of Vacancies by Education

During periods of high unemployment, onemight assume that there are too many qualifiedcandidates and too few job openings. The real-

ity is that even in recessions there are many employerswho cannot find qualified candidates to fill their openpositions. Actually, a region’s overall labor force ismade up of multiple smaller labor groups defined byskills, experience, and education; only a certain num-ber of qualified candidates can compete for any givenjob. It is very important, therefore, that job seekershave accurate information regarding what types ofeducation and experience are in highest demand.

The majority of vacancies reported in the regionrequire lower levels of education. Vacancies requiringeither no diploma or a high-school diploma/GED com-prise 57% of the job openings. Many technical jobsrequire vocational training or certification and are inrelatively high demand in the Northwest & Rural

Resort region. Seventeen percent of reported job open-ings required either a bachelors or advanced degree.

Looking at the occupations that coincide with therequired education levels provides a better understand-ing of the vacancies. For this kind of analysis, reportedjob vacancies are assigned an occupational code fromthe 2000 Standard Occupational ClassificationManual which groups jobs into one of 22 major cate-gories as shown in Figure 22 on page 22.

The Job Vacancy Survey found Sales and Related,Office and Administrative Support, and FoodPreparation and Serving occupations represented thegreatest number of job openings for candidates with ahigh school diploma, GED, or no diploma. The sur-veyed openings most frequently reported requiringvocational training are: Healthcare Practitioner andTechnical; Installation, Maintenance, and Repair; andProtective Service occupations.


Although most sampled employers are notseeking applicants with higher levels of

education, they are looking for candidateswith experience. More than half of

employers reporting vacanciesrequire experience in the occupationor in a related field.

A good portion of the vacan-cies in Healthcare, Management,and Construction require priorexperience in that field. Themajority of sales and office and

administrative support vacanciesseek candidates with experience in

a related field.

General Work

Experience

19%

Experience in a

Related Field

36%

Experience in

this Occupation

25%

No Experience

Required

20%

Figure 13:Vacancies by Experience

High School/GED

$0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25


$30

$0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25 $30

Advanced Degree

Bachelor's Degree

No Diploma

Two-Year Degree

Vocational Training/ Certification

Figure 12: Average Wages by Education

Generally, the more education required for a posi-tion, the higher the wages offered. Job vacanciesrequiring a bachelors degree offer wages twice as highas those requiring a high-school diploma. The highestwages for reported openings were most often found inmanagement occupations. Vocations requiring specific

training and experience may offer a relatively highwage due to their technical nature. As a high schooldiploma or GED was most demanded for reported jobvacancies, this places a significant portion of thevacancies in the $12 to $15 range.


General Work Experience

$0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25


$0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25

No Experience Required

Experience in a Related Field

Experience in This Occupation

Figure 14: Average Wages by Experience

Positions demanding higher levels of experiencegenerally pay higher wages. Vacancies requiring expe-rience in the particular occupation for which thevacancy exists pay the highest wages.

Management occupations offer the highest wages forcandidates with prior experience in the field or related

job experience. A few positions for hire in Manage-ment; Education, Training, and Library; and ProtectiveService jobs had no experience requirements and raisedthe average wage for the “No Experience Required”category. In general, firms offer experienced candi-dates better compensation packages, in part becauseexperience usually increases worker productivity.

The survey results confirm a notion generally heldas true—the higher the level of education demanded,the higher the level of experience required. Internshipsand apprenticeships are important options to consider;in today’s job market employers are looking for candi-dates with experience as well as academic knowledge.More than 80% of positions requesting a bachelor’sdegree or higher also desire the candidate to haveexperience.

In the Northwest & Rural Resort region, mostemployers are expecting new hires to have some levelof experience regardless of educational requirementsfor the position. However, there are still a significantproportion of vacancies requiring lower levels ofeducation and requiring no experience.

No Experience General WorkExperience

Experience in aRelated Field

Experience in This Occupation

No Diploma 17% 46% 34% 2%

High School Diploma/GED 33% 17% 42% 7%

Vocational Training/Certification 8% 8% 31% 53%

Two-Year Degree 0% 29% 14% 57%

Bachelor’s Degree 11% 0% 17% 72%

Advanced Degree 13% 0% 53% 33%

Note: Percentages based on each educational category. Shading added to highlight trend.

Table 2: Experience Requirements by Educational Level


Vacancies: Difficulty to FillTo estimate the level of difficulty in filling vacan-

cies, employers are asked about their perceivedlevel of difficulty in filling a job and the length

of time that a position has been open. If alarge proportion of vacancies in a region

are difficult to fill, it may signal one ofthe following: a) too few specificallyskilled workers to satisfy the labordemand, b) a need for alternateemployer recruitment efforts, c) a mis-match between jobs offered and workdesired by job seekers d) unattractive

compensation.

The majority of surveyed employers indi-cated that they had some degree of difficulty

in filling open positions. They most often foundoccupations in the Healthcare Practitioner and

Technical fields very difficult to fill.

In this survey vacancies that are difficult to filltend to offer higher wages – those considered “verydifficult” offer an average minimum wage of $18.20

while positions that are not difficult to fill offer anaverage maximum wage of $13.70.

Somewhat

Difficult

40%

Not Difficult

35%

Very Difficult

25%

Figure 15:Difficulty to Fill

Not Difficult

$0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25


$0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25

Somewhat Difficult

Very Difficult

Figure 16: Average Wages by Difficulty to Fill


Although employers indicated a degree of difficulty infilling open positions, 64% of the reported vacancies

have been open for less than 30 days.

Most surveyed positions requiring 60 or moredays to hire are those demanding experience in

the particular occupation along with higherlevels of education. Employers may allowmore time to fill a position in order toensure the fit of the candidate with theorganization, or because there may be alimited number of qualified applicants.

Healthcare Practitioner and TechnicalOccupations were found in both the “tak-

ing 60 or more days to fill” group and, inthe “always hiring” category.

Fifteen percent of reported vacancies areconstantly open for hire – this could be due to

high turnover, growing demand for these roles, or aperpetual short supply of qualified candidates.

Always Hiring

$0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25


$0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25

30 to 59 Days

60 or More Days

Less Than 30 Days

Figure 18: Average Wages by Time Open for Hire

Less Than 30

Days

64%

30 to 59 Days

13%

60 or

More Days

8%

Always Hiring

15%

Figure 17: Vacanciesby Time Open for Hire

Positions open for 60 or more days offer the highestwages – in line with the idea that many of these posi-tions require specialized skills for which employersare willing to pay higher compensation.

Management and Protective Service occupationsare representative of the higher wages offered for

positions surveyed as open for 60 or more days. Asmentioned, Healthcare Practitioners and Technicalworkers are in constant demand and command thehighest salaries in the “Always Hiring” group.


Partial Cost of Premium

No Monetary ContributonTowards Premium

$0 $5 $10 $15 $20

JVS Wage - Average Minimum / Average Maximum$0 $5 $10 $15 $20

Total Cost of Premium

$25

$25

Figure 20: Average Wages by Medical Insurance

Avast majority of employersreporting job vacanciesare offering to pay

either partial or full medicalinsurance premiums for openpositions. Employers may offerhealth insurance coverage as anincentive in addition to attrac-tive wages to recruit skilledemployees.

There is a clear correlationin the survey between higherpaying jobs and greater con-tributions toward medicalinsurance premiums. As high-er paying jobs require higherlevels of education and expe-rience, employers offer bettermedical insurance packagesto attract qualified candidates.

Sign-on bonuses became popular lore in the late 1990swhen a tight labor market existed in many occupationalsectors. It is unclear whether the actual size and frequency

of sign-on bonuses deserved the hype. Nine of the 163employers responding to this question offer a sign-onbonus. When offered, this bonus is currently used toattract professionals in the Healthcare Practitioner andTechnical field. As the economy climbs out of reces-sion and the labor market once again tightens, it will be

interesting to see if sign-on bonuses are offered morefrequently.

Sign-On Bonus

Vacancies: Medical Insurance

Partial Cost of

Premium

64%

No Monetary

Contribution

Towards Premium

3%

Total Cost of

Premium

33%

Figure 19:Employer’s Contribution

to Medical Insurance

Sign-On Bonus

6%

No Sign-On

Bonus

94%

Figure 21:Sign-On Bonus


Occupations

In order to help make comparisons between theresults of this survey and other sources of employ-ment statistics, all jobs reported are assigned a

Standard Occupational Classification code from the2000 Standard Occupational Classification Manual.Figure 22 shows the distribution of job vacancies by

major occupational groups. Figure 22 depicts the dis-tribution of vacancies by occupation. Not surprisingly,the most frequently occurring job vacancies fall intooccupational groups that are most often associatedwith the largest industries in the region: services, retailtrade, and construction.

0% 4% 8% 12% 16%

Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media

Architecture & Engineering

Farming, Fishing, & Forestry Workers

Computer & Mathematical

Legal

Life, Physical, & Social Science

Production

Business & Financial Operations

Community & Social Services

Healthcare Support

Education, Training, & Library

Transportation & Material Moving

Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance

Personal Care & Service

Healthcare Practitioners & Technical

Protective Service

Installation, Maintenance, & Repair

Food Preparation & Serving Related

Construction & Extraction

Management

Sales & Related

Office & Administrative Support

Figure 22: Proportion of Actual Vacancies by Major Occupational Group

No vacancies reported in this survey.





Installation, Maintenance & Repair

Healthcare Support

Construction & Extraction

Personal Care & Service

Office & Administrative Support

Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance

Sales & Related

Transportation & Material Moving

Healthcare Practitioner & Technical

$0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25

Food Preparation & Serving Related

Production

Protective Service

Management

Education, Training & Library


$30

$0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25 $30

Arts, Design, Entertainment,Sports & Media

Legal

Life, Physical & Social Science

Computer & Mathematical

Business & Financial Operations

Farming, Fishing & Forestry Architecture & Engineering

Community & Social Services





Figure 23: Average Wages by Major Occupational Group

The survey results show that the most frequentlyoccurring job vacancies are not necessarily offeringthe highest wages. This indicates that compensationfor workers can be explained by looking at othervacancy characteristics. Occupations offering the lowestwage ranges also tend to be those typically requiring

lower levels of education and experience. Manage-ment, Business and Financial, Healthcare and someTransportation and Material Moving vacancies areoffering the highest wages. These occupations typicallyrequire specific knowledge acquired through educationand experience.


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pa

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Tabl

e 3:

Job

Vac

ancy

Sur

vey

Occ

upat

ions

with

OES

Wag

es

* O

ES w

ages

repo

rted

for C

olor

ado

stat

ewid

e†

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wag

e da

ta a

vaila

ble

‡

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t 25%

of a

ctua

l res

pons

esM

- m

iddl

e 50

% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses

H -

high

est 2

5% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses


SO

C

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de

SO

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pati

on

al T

itle

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cy

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k

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rag

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e

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try-

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el

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d

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th

Occu

pa

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nal E

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(2001)

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ity

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Tabl

e 3:

Job

Vac

ancy

Sur

vey

Occ

upat

ions

with

OES

Wag

es –

Pag

e 2

* O

ES w

ages

repo

rted

for C

olor

ado

stat

ewid

e†

No

wag

e da

ta a

vaila

ble

‡

L- l

owes

t 25%

of a

ctua

l res

pons

esM

- m

iddl

e 50

% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses

H -

high

est 2

5% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses


SO

C

Co

de

SO

C O

ccu

pati

on

al T

itle

‡ V

acan

cy

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k

Ave

rag

e

JVS

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e

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try-

Lev

el

Ove

rall

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eri-

ence

d

10

th2

5th

50

th7

5th

90

th

Occu

pa

tio

nal E

mp

loym

en

t S

tati

sti

cs W

ag

e D

ata

(2001)

Av

era

ge

Wa

ge

sP

erc

en

tile

Dis

trib

uti

on

29

-20

34

Ra

dio

log

ic T

ech

no

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29

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41

Em

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29

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55

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31

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00

He

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cu

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31

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36

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33

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Pro

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18

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33

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21

First-

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25

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19

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34

.51

33

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12

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an

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19

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14

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20

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33

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51

Po

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24

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12

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17

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6$

22

.47

33

-90

11

An

ima

l C

on

tro

l W

ork

ers

L$

9.5

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8.3

0$

9.4

7$

5.5

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5.8

6$

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10

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1

33

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31

Ga

min

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urv

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an

ce

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ice

rs a

nd

Ga

min

g

Inve

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ato

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$1

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9.7

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11

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9$

10

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13

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7

33

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32

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cu

rity

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ard

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11

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13

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33

-90

92

Life

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ard

s,

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nd

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cra

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13

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35

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od

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pa

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an

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erv

ing

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late

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Oc

cu

pa

tio

ns

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9.0

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10

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$6

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$1

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13

.46

35

-10

11

Ch

efs

an

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ea

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ks

L$

26

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25

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10

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$1

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18

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$2

5.7

7$

71

.84

35

-20

12

Co

oks,

Institu

tio

n a

nd

Ca

fete

ria

L$

8.8

0$

7.8

8$

11

.07

$1

2.6

6$

7.5

6$

8.3

6$

10

.18

$1

4.2

9$

16

.27

Tabl

e 3:

Job

Vac

ancy

Sur

vey

Occ

upat

ions

with

OES

Wag

es –

Pag

e 3

* O

ES w

ages

repo

rted

for C

olor

ado

stat

ewid

e†

No

wag

e da

ta a

vaila

ble

‡

L- l

owes

t 25%

of a

ctua

l res

pons

esM

- m

iddl

e 50

% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses

H -

high

est 2

5% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses


SO

C

Co

de

SO

C O

ccu

pati

on

al T

itle

‡ V

acan

cy

Ran

k

Ave

rag

e

JVS

Wag

e

En

try-

Lev

el

Ove

rall

Exp

eri-

ence

d

10

th2

5th

50

th7

5th

90

th

Occu

pa

tio

nal E

mp

loym

en

t S

tati

sti

cs W

ag

e D

ata

(2001)

Av

era

ge

Wa

ge

sP

erc

en

tile

Dis

trib

uti

on

35

-20

14

Co

oks,

Re

sta

ura

nt

H$

8.6

0$

8.5

4$

10

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$1

1.0

9$

7.6

5$

9.1

3$

10

.07

$1

1.0

0$

13

.37

35

-20

15

Co

oks,

Sh

ort

Ord

er

L$

8.0

0$

5.9

8$

7.3

5$

8.0

4$

5.6

1$

6.1

0$

6.9

1$

8.3

9$

10

.22

35

-20

19

Co

oks,

All

Oth

er

L†

††

††

††

††

35

-20

21

Fo

od

Pre

pa

ratio

n W

ork

ers

L$

8.5

0$

7.6

0$

9.7

2$

10

.78

$7

.26

$7

.92

$9

.19

$1

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4$

13

.43

35

-30

21

Co

mb

ine

d F

oo

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rep

ara

tio

n a

nd

Se

rvin

g

Wo

rke

rs,

Inclu

din

g F

ast

Fo

od

L$

11

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$6

.43

$8

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$8

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$6

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$6

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$8

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$1

0.5

1

35

-30

31

Wa

ite

rs a

nd

Wa

itre

sse

sM

$6

.00

$5

.98

$7

.77

$8

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$5

.56

$5

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$6

.62

$8

.64

$1

1.4

1

35

-90

11

Din

ing

Ro

om

an

d C

afe

teria

Att

en

da

nts

an

d

Ba

rte

nd

er

He

lpe

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$7

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$6

.00

$7

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$7

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$5

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$6

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$7

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$8

.37

$9

.80

35

-90

21

Dis

hw

ash

ers

M$

9.0

0$

5.9

8$

7.4

7$

8.2

1$

5.7

0$

6.3

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7.3

5$

8.4

4$

9.8

5

35

-90

31

Ho

sts

an

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sta

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un

ge

,

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op

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8.0

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9.0

4$

5.7

6$

6.4

2$

7.6

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9.0

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10

.87

35

-90

99

Fo

od

Pre

pa

ratio

n a

nd

Se

rvin

g R

ela

ted

Wo

rke

rs,

All

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er

L$

9.0

0$

7.8

8$

9.7

9$

10

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3$

12

.77

37

-00

00

Bu

ild

ing

an

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rou

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s C

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nd

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inte

na

nc

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cc

up

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on

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$8

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$1

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4$

12

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$9

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$1

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3$

12

.87

$1

5.6

0

37

-10

11

First-

Lin

e S

up

erv

iso

rs/M

an

ag

ers

of

Ho

use

ke

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ing

an

d J

an

ito

ria

l W

ork

ers

H$

10

.80

$1

0.5

4$

15

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3$

9.6

0$

11

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$1

4.7

9$

18

.13

$2

1.7

0

37

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12

Ma

ids a

nd

Ho

use

ke

ep

ing

Cle

an

ers

H$

9.9

0$

8.7

7$

10

.45

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1.2

8$

8.1

0$

9.2

2$

10

.27

$1

1.6

8$

13

.35

39

-00

00

Pe

rso

na

l C

are

an

d S

erv

ice

Oc

cu

pa

tio

ns

†$

6.6

2$

11

.80

$1

4.4

0$

6.0

5$

7.3

1$

9.9

9$

14

.76

$2

1.7

1

39

-10

21

First-

Lin

e S

up

erv

iso

rs/M

an

ag

ers

of

Pe

rso

na

l S

erv

ice

Wo

rke

rsL

$1

7.5

0$

9.4

4$

13

.52

$1

5.5

6$

6.4

0$

11

.67

$1

3.1

0$

15

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$2

0.1

9

*3

9-5

09

2

M

an

icu

rists

an

d P

ed

icu

rists

M†

$6

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$8

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$9

.91

$5

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$6

.48

$7

.68

$9

.05

$1

0.8

0

39

-60

12

Co

ncie

rge

sL

$1

2.0

0$

9.7

2$

12

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$1

3.3

5$

9.2

5$

10

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$1

1.3

8$

13

.54

$1

6.7

3

39

-90

11

Ch

ild C

are

Wo

rke

rsL

$9

.30

$7

.73

$9

.65

$1

0.6

0$

7.4

4$

8.1

4$

9.3

0$

10

.96

$1

2.9

5

Tabl

e 3:

Job

Vac

ancy

Sur

vey

Occ

upat

ions

with

OES

Wag

es –

Pag

e 4

* O

ES w

ages

repo

rted

for C

olor

ado

stat

ewid

e†

No

wag

e da

ta a

vaila

ble

‡

L- l

owes

t 25%

of a

ctua

l res

pons

esM

- m

iddl

e 50

% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses

H -

high

est 2

5% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses


SO

C

Co

de

SO

C O

ccu

pati

on

al T

itle

‡ V

acan

cy

Ran

k

Ave

rag

e

JVS

Wag

e

En

try-

Lev

el

Ove

rall

Exp

eri-

ence

d

10

th2

5th

50

th7

5th

90

th

Occu

pa

tio

nal E

mp

loym

en

t S

tati

sti

cs W

ag

e D

ata

(2001)

Av

era

ge

Wa

ge

sP

erc

en

tile

Dis

trib

uti

on

39

-90

31

Fitn

ess T

rain

ers

an

d A

ero

bic

s I

nstr

ucto

rsH

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11

.71

$1

9.5

7$

23

.51

$8

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$1

4.9

5$

19

.40

$2

6.0

7$

28

.18

41

-00

00

Sa

les

an

d R

ela

ted

Oc

cu

pa

tio

ns

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8.0

9$

12

.96

$1

5.4

0$

7.4

4$

8.8

9$

10

.66

$1

4.7

7$

21

.32

41

-10

11

First-

Lin

e S

up

erv

iso

rs/M

an

ag

ers

of

Re

tail

Sa

les W

ork

ers

L†

$1

1.8

4$

18

.41

$2

1.7

0$

11

.17

$1

3.1

8$

16

.56

$2

1.3

4$

27

.86

41

-20

12

Ga

min

g C

ha

ng

e P

ers

on

s a

nd

Bo

oth

Ca

sh

iers

H$

11

.40

$6

.81

$9

.66

$1

1.0

7$

6.2

2$

7.4

6$

9.3

5$

11

.43

$1

3.8

5

41

-20

21

Co

un

ter

an

d R

en

tal C

lerk

sH

$1

0.5

0$

7.1

0$

10

.65

$1

2.4

3$

6.5

9$

7.9

5$

9.7

5$

12

.89

$1

6.7

0

41

-20

22

Pa

rts S

ale

sp

ers

on

sH

$7

.30

$7

.25

$1

1.5

0$

13

.64

$6

.81

$8

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$1

1.3

7$

13

.66

$1

7.9

3

41

-20

31

Re

tail

Sa

lesp

ers

on

sH

$1

6.0

0$

8.0

9$

11

.05

$1

2.5

4$

7.5

7$

8.7

6$

10

.04

$1

1.8

1$

15

.74

41

-30

11

Ad

ve

rtis

ing

Sa

les A

ge

nts

L$

15

.10

$1

4.1

2$

21

.09

$2

4.5

7$

13

.34

$1

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6$

17

.58

$2

1.8

9$

37

.02

43

-00

00

Off

ice

an

d A

dm

inis

tra

tiv

e S

up

po

rt

Oc

cu

pa

tio

ns

†$

8.9

1$

13

.36

$1

5.5

9$

8.3

0$

10

.28

$1

2.7

7$

15

.92

$1

9.3

1

43

-10

11

First-

Lin

e S

up

erv

iso

rs/M

an

ag

ers

of

Off

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an

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dm

inis

tra

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pp

ort

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rke

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$2

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0$

12

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$1

8.5

6$

21

.52

$1

1.2

3$

14

.21

$1

6.6

1$

20

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$2

8.3

3

43

-20

11

Sw

itch

bo

ard

Op

era

tors

, In

clu

din

g A

nsw

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g

Se

rvic

eM

$1

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0$

9.0

5$

11

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$1

2.0

4$

8.3

0$

9.4

9$

10

.91

$1

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0$

13

.95

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3-2

02

1

T

ele

ph

on

e O

pe

rato

rsL

$1

1.0

0$

6.9

0$

10

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$1

2.9

2$

6.3

7$

7.7

4$

11

.71

$1

3.6

8$

15

.62

43

-30

31

Bo

okke

ep

ing

, A

cco

un

tin

g,

an

d A

ud

itin

g

Cle

rks

L$

10

.30

$1

0.8

2$

15

.28

$1

7.5

1$

9.9

4$

12

.27

$1

5.0

0$

17

.88

$2

0.9

9

43

-30

71

Te

llers

M$

11

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$1

2.4

3$

12

.49

$1

2.5

1$

11

.40

$1

1.8

4$

12

.56

$1

3.2

8$

13

.72

43

-40

31

Co

urt

, M

un

icip

al, a

nd

Lic

en

se

Cle

rks

L†

$7

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$1

3.3

3$

16

.35

$6

.19

$8

.46

$1

3.1

4$

17

.27

$2

1.0

3

43

-40

61

Elig

ibili

ty I

nte

rvie

we

rs,

Go

ve

rnm

en

t

Pro

gra

ms

L$

13

.20

$1

1.4

7$

15

.21

$1

7.0

7$

10

.64

$1

2.0

7$

14

.02

$1

8.0

1$

21

.66

43

-40

81

Ho

tel, M

ote

l, a

nd

Re

so

rt D

esk C

lerk

sH

$1

0.1

0$

9.6

6$

10

.57

$1

1.0

3$

9.0

5$

9.5

6$

10

.38

$1

1.3

5$

13

.09

43

-41

71

Re

ce

ptio

nis

ts a

nd

In

form

atio

n C

lerk

sL

$1

0.5

0$

8.3

3$

11

.42

$1

2.9

6$

6.9

1$

9.6

7$

11

.81

$1

3.4

2$

14

.58

Tabl

e 3:

Job

Vac

ancy

Sur

vey

Occ

upat

ions

with

OES

Wag

es –

Pag

e 5

* O

ES w

ages

repo

rted

for C

olor

ado

stat

ewid

e†

No

wag

e da

ta a

vaila

ble

‡

L- l

owes

t 25%

of a

ctua

l res

pons

esM

- m

iddl

e 50

% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses

H -

high

est 2

5% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses


SO

C

Co

de

SO

C O

ccu

pati

on

al T

itle

‡ V

acan

cy

Ran

k

Ave

rag

e

JVS

Wag

e

En

try-

Lev

el

Ove

rall

Exp

eri-

ence

d

10

th2

5th

50

th7

5th

90

th

Occu

pa

tio

nal E

mp

loym

en

t S

tati

sti

cs W

ag

e D

ata

(2001)

Av

era

ge

Wa

ge

sP

erc

en

tile

Dis

trib

uti

on

43

-50

31

Po

lice

, F

ire

, a

nd

Am

bu

lan

ce

Dis

pa

tch

ers

M$

13

.70

$9

.22

$1

3.2

7$

15

.31

$7

.12

$1

1.3

0$

13

.32

$1

6.1

1$

18

.34

43

-50

41

Me

ter

Re

ad

ers

, U

tilit

ies

L$

16

.00

$1

3.4

5$

17

.62

$1

9.7

0$

11

.74

$1

5.1

1$

18

.39

$2

0.6

6$

22

.02

43

-60

11

Exe

cu

tive

Se

cre

tarie

s a

nd

Ad

min

istr

ative

Assis

tan

tsH

$1

4.7

0$

12

.32

$1

6.7

1$

18

.90

$1

1.8

6$

13

.24

$1

6.1

4$

19

.55

$2

2.8

4

43

-90

61

Off

ice

Cle

rks,

Ge

ne

ral

H$

11

.90

$7

.04

$1

1.2

5$

13

.36

$6

.17

$8

.05

$1

1.1

5$

14

.33

$1

6.5

2

47

-00

00

Co

ns

tru

cti

on

an

d E

xtr

ac

tio

n

Oc

cu

pa

tio

ns

†$

12

.03

$1

8.1

4$

21

.19

$1

0.9

6$

13

.69

$1

7.7

6$

21

.98

$2

6.7

2

47

-20

31

Ca

rpe

nte

rsL

$1

7.0

0$

15

.86

$1

9.4

2$

21

.21

$1

4.6

0$

17

.65

$1

9.6

1$

21

.65

$2

4.9

1

47

-20

61

Co

nstr

uctio

n L

ab

ore

rsM

†$

9.4

5$

13

.14

$1

4.9

9$

9.0

8$

10

.42

$1

2.7

5$

15

.49

$1

7.3

9

47

-21

11

Ele

ctr

icia

ns

H$

18

.60

$1

2.4

4$

17

.69

$2

0.3

1$

11

.96

$1

3.2

1$

17

.04

$2

1.2

9$

25

.57

47

-21

52

Plu

mb

ers

, P

ipe

fitt

ers

, a

nd

Ste

am

fitt

ers

H$

19

.00

$1

4.1

7$

21

.10

$2

4.5

6$

13

.14

$1

5.9

7$

20

.49

$2

6.3

4$

31

.58

47

-30

15

He

lpe

rs--

Pip

ela

ye

rs,

Plu

mb

ers

, P

ipe

fitt

ers

,

an

d S

tea

mfitt

ers

H$

11

.00

$1

1.3

6$

14

.51

$1

6.0

8$

11

.22

$1

2.1

0$

13

.59

$1

7.6

4$

20

.38

49

-00

00

Ins

tall

ati

on

, M

ain

ten

an

ce

, a

nd

Re

pa

ir

Oc

cu

pa

tio

ns

†$

11

.23

$1

7.8

9$

21

.23

$1

0.3

1$

12

.77

$1

6.9

4$

22

.05

$2

7.1

2

49

-20

95

Ele

ctr

ica

l a

nd

Ele

ctr

on

ics R

ep

aire

rs,

Po

we

rho

use

, S

ub

sta

tio

n,

an

d R

ela

yL

$2

7.0

0$

13

.95

$2

0.5

9$

23

.91

$1

2.7

5$

14

.99

$2

3.2

3$

26

.09

$2

7.8

0

49

-30

23

Au

tom

otive

Se

rvic

e T

ech

nic

ian

s a

nd

Me

ch

an

ics

H$

16

.30

$1

2.0

6$

20

.43

$2

4.6

2$

9.9

6$

14

.77

$1

9.8

5$

25

.92

$3

2.9

2

49

-30

31

Bu

s a

nd

Tru

ck M

ech

an

ics a

nd

Die

se

l

En

gin

e S

pe

cia

lists

M†

$1

4.2

7$

18

.68

$2

0.8

8$

13

.74

$1

5.7

9$

18

.29

$2

1.9

8$

25

.74

49

-90

21

He

atin

g,

Air C

on

ditio

nin

g,

an

d R

efr

ige

ratio

n

Me

ch

an

ics a

nd

In

sta

llers

L†

$1

4.5

4$

18

.37

$2

0.2

8$

14

.39

$1

6.3

5$

18

.63

$2

0.9

9$

22

.97

49

-90

42

Ma

inte

na

nce

an

d R

ep

air W

ork

ers

, G

en

era

lH

$1

1.3

0$

11

.03

$1

5.0

6$

17

.07

$1

0.1

3$

12

.01

$1

4.3

7$

17

.54

$2

1.6

4

49

-90

43

Ma

inte

na

nce

Wo

rke

rs,

Ma

ch

ine

ryL

$1

8.5

0$

18

.52

$2

2.8

4$

24

.99

$1

6.8

3$

21

.19

$2

4.1

4$

26

.26

$2

7.5

3

Tabl

e 3:

Job

Vac

ancy

Sur

vey

Occ

upat

ions

with

OES

Wag

es –

Pag

e 6

* O

ES w

ages

repo

rted

for C

olor

ado

stat

ewid

e†

No

wag

e da

ta a

vaila

ble

‡

L- l

owes

t 25%

of a

ctua

l res

pons

esM

- m

iddl

e 50

% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses

H -

high

est 2

5% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses


SO

C

Co

de

SO

C O

ccu

pati

on

al T

itle

‡ V

acan

cy

Ran

k

Ave

rag

e

JVS

Wag

e

En

try-

Lev

el

Ove

rall

Exp

eri-

ence

d

10

th2

5th

50

th7

5th

90

th

Occu

pa

tio

nal E

mp

loym

en

t S

tati

sti

cs W

ag

e D

ata

(2001)

Av

era

ge

Wa

ge

sP

erc

en

tile

Dis

trib

uti

on

49

-90

91

Co

in,

Ve

nd

ing

, a

nd

Am

use

me

nt

Ma

ch

ine

Se

rvic

ers

an

d R

ep

aire

rsM

$1

4.3

0$

11

.33

$1

5.1

6$

17

.09

$1

0.3

3$

12

.40

$1

5.1

3$

18

.04

$2

0.6

3

51

-00

00

Pro

du

cti

on

Oc

cu

pa

tio

ns

†$

8.8

8$

15

.17

$1

8.3

2$

8.1

2$

10

.20

$1

3.9

8$

19

.16

$2

5.3

6

51

-41

21

We

lde

rs,

Cu

tte

rs,

So

lde

rers

, a

nd

Bra

ze

rsL

$1

7.5

0$

11

.43

$1

9.2

3$

23

.14

$1

0.0

1$

12

.80

$1

9.5

6$

25

.24

$2

7.6

6

51

-60

11

La

un

dry

an

d D

ry-C

lea

nin

g W

ork

ers

L$

7.3

0$

7.3

4$

9.3

3$

10

.32

$7

.00

$7

.64

$8

.69

$1

0.6

8$

12

.80

51

-80

31

Wa

ter

an

d L

iqu

id W

aste

Tre

atm

en

t P

lan

t

an

d S

yste

m O

pe

rato

rsM

$1

3.3

0$

11

.22

$1

6.3

2$

18

.87

$9

.96

$1

2.7

7$

16

.10

$1

9.6

4$

23

.55

53

-00

00

Tra

ns

po

rta

tio

n a

nd

Ma

teri

al

Mo

vin

g

Oc

cu

pa

tio

ns

†$

8.8

3$

14

.39

$1

7.1

6$

8.1

0$

10

.18

$1

3.6

4$

17

.64

$2

2.1

0

53

-30

31

Drive

r/S

ale

s W

ork

ers

H$

15

.40

$7

.11

$9

.94

$1

1.3

6$

6.0

9$

8.7

8$

9.8

7$

10

.98

$1

3.8

5

53

-30

33

Tru

ck D

rive

rs,

Lig

ht

or

De

live

ry S

erv

ice

sL

$8

.00

$9

.37

$1

3.9

4$

16

.22

$8

.92

$1

0.2

0$

12

.83

$1

6.3

6$

23

.54

53

-60

21

Pa

rkin

g L

ot

Att

en

da

nts

L$

7.5

0$

6.2

0$

8.0

0$

8.9

0$

5.8

9$

6.7

0$

7.8

5$

9.1

1$

10

.59

53

-70

62

La

bo

rers

an

d F

reig

ht,

Sto

ck,

an

d M

ate

ria

l

Mo

ve

rs,

Ha

nd

L$

11

.50

$8

.67

$1

1.3

5$

12

.69

$7

.92

$9

.31

$1

0.8

2$

13

.18

$1

5.9

2

*5

3-7

06

4

P

acke

rs a

nd

Pa

cka

ge

rs,

Ha

nd

L$

10

.80

$6

.10

$7

.96

$8

.88

$5

.84

$6

.41

$7

.40

$8

.85

$1

1.0

0

Tabl

e 3:

Job

Vac

ancy

Sur

vey

Occ

upat

ions

with

OES

Wag

es –

Pag

e 7

* O

ES w

ages

repo

rted

for C

olor

ado

stat

ewid

e†

No

wag

e da

ta a

vaila

ble

‡

L- l

owes

t 25%

of a

ctua

l res

pons

esM

- m

iddl

e 50

% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses

H -

high

est 2

5% o

f act

ual r

espo

nses


Many challenges exist in collecting and analyz-ing the data for the Job Vacancy Survey.Because methods selected to carry out a sur-

vey impact the final results, great effort is put into

making this survey statistically viable and, mostimportantly, accurate. Methods used in this survey willcontinue to be reviewed and, where statistical viabilityand accuracy can be improved, modified.

Our professional survey unit developed theComputer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI)

to maximize accuracy and usefulness, while mini-mizing length and survey bias. In accordance with

recognized survey research standards, the followingselection of questions are taken directly from thephone interview script.

In General1. How many employees do you have working

within the region?

2. Do you have any job vacancies for which yourfirm is actively recruiting?

3. How many job vacancies is your firm recruit-ing to fill?

For Each Vacancy1. What is the job title?

2. Briefly, what are the job duties?

3. Which of the following best describes thisvacancy?� Full-time/Permanent� Full-time/Temporary� Part-time/Permanent� Part-time/Temporary

4. What is the maximum wage offered for thisvacancy?

5. What is the minimum wage offered for thisvacancy?

6. Is a sign-on bonus offered? If yes, how much?

7. Is medical insurance offered?

8. If yes, does your firm pay the total cost of thepremium, partial cost of the premium or do youmake no contribution at all to the premium?

9. Which of the following best describes theeducation level required to fill this vacancy?� No diploma required� High School or GED diploma� Two-year degree� Bachelor’s degree� Advanced degree

10. What best describes the type of experiencerequired to qualify for this vacancy?� No experience is required� General work experience� Experience in a related field� Experience in this occupation

11. How long has this vacancy been open?� Less than 30 days� 30 to 59 days� 60 or more days� Always hiring for this position

12. How difficult is this vacancy to fill?� Not difficult� Somewhat difficult� Very difficult to fill

Methodology

Computer Assisted Telephone Interview


Survey Sample Methodology

This survey is designed to estimate the number ofvacancies in the region and to provide detailed

vacancy characteristics. Employers with at least fiveemployees are placed into either government or pri-vate industry categories. Firms with fewer than fiveemployees make up a very large portion of all employ-ers in the region, but a small proportion of totalemployment. The possibility of employing statisticalmethods to estimate vacancies for this group is cur-rently being explored.

Private firms are grouped by employment level intoeither large or small to mid-size categories. Attemptsare made to contact each large private employer andgovernment agency in the region. Small to mid-sizefirms are further divided by major industry and ran-domly sampled until a representative response isobtained for each category.

The original list of private industry firms used forthe survey, along with their contact information, staffsize and industry classification is obtained from theAmerica’s Labor Market Information System(ALMIS) database. Government contact information isprovided by the Colorado Department of Labor andEmployment’s ES-202 employer database.

Data Editing

Once data collection is complete, measures aretaken to prepare the data for analysis. To ensure

accuracy, follow-up phone calls are made whenemployer responses need clarification.

Occupational Coding

The job title and duties reported by employers areused to code vacancies in accordance with the lat-

est release of the Standard Occupational Classificationsystem. For more information on this occupationalclassification system, please refer to the definitionssection.

Wage Conversion

Standard conversions are used to translate salariesinto hourly wages: 2,080 hours for annual, 173.3

hours for monthly.

All wages reported below the Federal minimumwage are adjusted to that amount. Currently, theFederal minimum wage is $5.15 per hour.


Definitions

These definitions are meant to clarify data gath-ered for the Job Vacancy Survey. For other datasources referenced in the document, please see

that source for a complete definition.

Average

The arithmetic average (also called the mean) for agroup of items is defined as the sum of the values ofthe items divided by the number of items.

Average Minimum and Average Maximum Wage

When surveyed employers report wages offered forcurrent vacancies, both a minimum and a maximumwage are recorded. All minimum wages are aver-aged to determine the reported average minimumwage. The same is true for the reported averagemaximum wage.

Employer

A person or establishment that pays one or morepeople a wage or salary.

Employment

Includes people who did any work for pay or profitin the reference period, worked 15 hours or morewithout pay in a family business or farm, or weretemporarily absent from their jobs.

Full-time and Part-time Employment

To be classified as full-time employment, a posi-tion must require a minimum of 35 hours of workper week. Part-time employment refers to caseswhere a position requires less than 35 hours ofwork a week.

Industry Classification

Employers are grouped into industries on thebasis of their principal product or activity in accor-dance with the 1987 Standard IndustrialClassification Manual.

Job Seekers

People actively looking for employment orresearching career options.

Job Vacancy

A specific position of employment at an establish-ment with the condition that there is work availablefor the position and the employer is actively recruitingfor the position. The definition does not include posi-tions that are anticipated, but not yet created.

Job Vacancy Rate

The number of openings in a specific industry orcategory expressed as a share of the total employmentin that same industry.

Labor Force

Consists of all employed or unemployed civilianswho are eligible to work, plus members of the ArmedForces stationed in the United States.

Level of Education

Refers to completed education programs - highschool diplomas, associate, professional, vocational,bachelors, and graduate degrees all are examples ofcompleted programs.

Medical Insurance Premium

Refers to payments that a holder of an insurancepolicy pays in order to keep his/her policy current.

Permanent and Temporary Employment

A vacancy is classified as permanent if it will befilled for more than six months. Temporary employ-ment refers to those positions that will be filled for sixmonths or less.

Sign-on Bonus

An additional financial incentive offered by a firmto a new employee to influence his/her decision toagree to employment with that firm. The bonus, forpurposes of this survey, is a monetary lump sum.

SOC

The Standard Occupational Classification is a sys-tem for classifying all occupations in the economy,including private, public, and military occupations.This classification system replaces all occupational


classification systems previously used by Federal sta-tistical agencies. It will be used by all Federal statisti-cal agencies and programs collecting occupationaldata, providing a means to compare occupational dataacross agencies. It is designed to cover all occupationsin which work is performed for pay or profit, reflect-ing the current occupational structure in the UnitedStates.

Survey Sample Universe

All private industry and government employers withfive or more employees in the region. Governmententities are drawn from ES-202 while private companiescome from the ALMIS database.

Unemployment

Includes people 16 years of age and over who hadno employment during the reference period, were

available for work (except for temporary illness), andhave made specific efforts to find employment. Peoplewho did not look for work because they were ontemporary layoff or waiting to start new jobs withinthe next thirty days are also counted among theunemployed.

Unemployment rate

The unemployment rate represents the numberunemployed as a percent of the labor force.

Wage

The monetary return per hour of work. The defini-tion does not include benefits (e.g., insurance, retire-ment program, or stock plans).

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