PRESS RELEASE
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Colorado Department
of Labor and Employment 633 17th
Street, Suite 600 • Denver, CO 80202 • (303) 318-8852 • Fax: (303) 318-8870 |
For Immediate Release
Date:
August 18, 2005
Contact:
Office of Government and Public Relations
Phone:
(303) 318-8004
Fax:
(303) 318-8070
Web:
http://www.coworkforce.com/lmi/
The Larimer/Weld Job Vacancy Survey
Findings Released
Over one thousand more jobs are open for
hire than at this time last year
(Denver) Increased
job openings and a steady decline in unemployment are refueling the local
economy in the Larimer Weld region according to the new Job Vacancy Survey
report issued by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
The findings are a result
of a survey of job vacancies conducted between March 11 and April 1 2005 in the
region.
A total of 1,956 employers
representing 44 percent of the region’s total employment were surveyed.
They reported an estimated 2,894 jobs open for immediate hire in the
region. This is up from 1,790 a year ago. The regional unemployment
rate dropped from 5.4 to 5.1 percent in the same time period.
Leisure & Hospitality offer the highest number of job
opportunities with 603 estimated vacancies and an average wage of $6.90.
Trade, Transportation & Utilities follows with 587 job openings, offering
an average wage of $7.80.
Sales & Related occupations make up the largest
proportion of all vacancies reported with 13%. High demand occupations in
the survey include Landscaping & Grounds keeping Workers ($9.30), Retail
Salespersons ($7.70), Combined Food Preparation & Serving Workers, Including
Fast Food ($6.50), and Coaches & Scouts ($13.00).
This latest Job Vacancy Survey for the Larimer Weld Region
is now available online at http://www.coworkforce.com/lmi/WRA/home.htm.
The Executive Summary of the survey is provided below.
About the Spring 2005 Larimer Weld
Job Vacancy Survey
The spring
2005 Larimer Weld Job Vacancy Survey was conducted from March 11th through
April 1st, 2005. The goal of the survey is to provide current information on
the demand for workers so that employers, job seekers, economic developers,
educators and workforce centers can make more informed decisions in the Larimer
Weld Region.
A random
sample of small to mid-size private employers with at least five employees was
contacted over the survey period. Additionally, the Colorado Department of
Labor and Employment (CDLE) survey unit attempted to interview all large
employers and Government entities in the region. Employers were asked if they
were actively hiring at the time of the survey and, if so a variety of other
questions about the positions they were seeking to fill.
A total of
1,956 employers, representing approximately 44% of the region’s employment
responded to the survey. Of these, 134 are Government agencies, 49 are large
employers and 1,773 are small to mid-size employers. The survey has a response
rate of 93.4% and a cooperation rate of 99.7%. The margin of sampling error for
the overall vacancy rate is plus or minus 2.5% or about 72 vacancies.
Major Findings of the Survey:
§ An estimated 2,894 jobs are
available for hire this survey period up from 1,790 a year ago.
§ Leisure & Hospitality accounts
for the most vacancies with 603, followed by Trade, Transportation & Utilities
(587) and Government (547).
§ The overall average wage for
vacancies in this survey is $12.00 per hour.
§ Approximately 13% of the surveyed
employers report having at least one job vacancy.
§ Sixty-one percent of the openings
are permanent, full-time positions, while almost 28% are part-time, permanent.
§ Eighty percent of all vacancies
require a high school/GED education or higher.
§ Twenty percent of the job vacancies require
occupation specific experience, while 47% require experience in a related
field.
§ Sixty-two percent of the vacant
positions have been open for less than 30 days, while 4% have been open for 60
days or more.
§ Sales & Related has the most
vacancies out of all of the 22 occupational groups, followed by Arts, Design,
Entertainment, Sports, & Media.