TOPEKA – There are fewer vacant jobs in Kansas this year than last year according to the 2011 Job Vacancy Survey released today by the Kansas Department of Labor. The survey was completed by employers during the second quarter of 2011 and found that there were an estimated 30,697 job vacancies statewide. This represents a 4.3 percent decrease in job vacancies from 2010.
“The 2011 Job Vacancy Survey is a valuable tool and is a great source for identifying job openings throughout the state,” said Kristen Rottinghaus, a research analyst in Labor Market Information Services. “It provides us with a depth of detail regarding recent job openings that is unsurpassed because it is based on information collected directly from our Kansas employers.”
The 2011 statewide job vacancy rate was 2.3 percent—meaning that for every 100 job positions, 2.3 were vacant while 97.7 remained filled. The highest job vacancy rate, 2.5 percent, was found in south central Kansas. The lowest job vacancy rate was 2.0 percent and was found in western Kansas.
At the time the survey was taken, Kansas averaged 96,512 unemployed workers, resulting in an average of 3.1 unemployed persons for every job vacancy reported—a slight increase from the 2010 rate of 3.0 unemployed persons for every job vacancy.
“Though there are fewer vacant positions and unemployment remains high, this is another tool unemployed workers can use in their search for employment,” said Kansas Secretary of Labor Karin Brownlee. “The 2011 Job Vacancy Survey also provides a clear target for focused workforce development programs emphasizing training for education and health services occupations.”
The 2011 Job Vacancy Survey also provides the educational requirements and the expected salary for vacant jobs. Some of the findings of the survey include:
The education and health services and the trade, transportation and utilities industries reported the most job vacancies for the fifth consecutive year, accounting for more than 46 percent of all vacancies in 2011.
Retail Salespersons and Nursing Assistants were the two most frequently vacant occupations in Kansas.
Statewide average minimum wages offered in Kansas ranged from $10.19 for those occupations requiring no education, to $31.75 for occupations requiring an advanced degree.
Additionally, occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree paid an average minimum wage that was more than twice as high as those requiring a high school diploma or GED.
Occupations requiring a bachelor’s or advanced degree accounted for approximately 19.7 percent of the vacancies statewide.
The entire 2011 Kansas Job Vacancy Survey is found online.