Some workers in demand even as unemployment climbs

Although companies have been tightening their budgets and cutting jobs, some vital positions not only remain stable, but are actually difficult for employers to staff.

According to Joe Winter, an economist with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, the top five job vacancies for the Denver metro area, with average 2000 hourly wage, are registered nurse, $22.38; executive secretary/administrative assistant, $16.66); wait staff, $7.42 including reported tips; retail sales staff, $10.25; and nurse’s aid, $9.48.

The entire report, which was compiled from November 2001 data, is available at www.coworkforce.com.

Jackie Osborn, president of staffing agency Boulder Staffing Inc., sees the greatest need in clerical employees, but employers seek general clerical help, not specialists. ?Companies want someone who can wear many hats,? she said.

Once their 2002 budgets are in place, these companies will probably shift their generalists into more specific niches, Osborn said.

Sandy Clausen, regional manager for Act 1 Personnel, has seen a similar trend, citing temporary receptionists as her clients’ biggest need. ?People still need their phones answered,? Clausen said. ?It’s entry-level and typically short-term.?

Hiring on an as-needed basis makes fiscal sense, but these essential positions are always in demand, according to Winter. ?The thing with the service industry is that it’s the fastest-growing segment,? Winter said. ?Even in an up time, it’s where you find the most turnover.?

Part of the reason for staffing fluctuation is the low pay in clerical, wait staff and retail positions, according to Winter. Usually, these positions require little secondary education or experience, except for the upper level executive secretaries and management within the retail sector.

As for health care, several factors impact its perennially shallow employee pool. Because of a large aging population, older employees retiring and fewer newcomers to the health-care field, maintaining a complete staff is ?pretty much going to be a long-standing problem,? Winter said.

In general, to get employed and stay employed, workers need to multi-task and be open to training in different areas, Osborn said. ?Small and medium companies are being overlooked (as potential employers),? she said. ?They especially need multi-tasking.?

It’s better to have solid skill in essential areas, such as human-resources protocol, office tasks and software usage, than to dabble in a dozen different disciplines as a jack-of-all-trades-but-master-of-none.

Switching one’s job focus may be the answer for some workers. ?It’s a good time to transition,? Osborn said. ?A lot of people are opening up their skill base, so they can be employed in different areas.?

For example, an administrative assistant specializing in benefits may take a few classes to qualify for a position in recruiting or in a general human-resources role. ?People in very high skill areas such as technology must be constantly re-educating themselves,? she said.

Speaking of the pre-recession employment darling, Osborn had a little good news. ?Database applications and networking will be in big demand in the coming year, because we are on a high-technological growth spurt,? she said.

One hot tech area is efficiency software, according to Eric Pringle, founder of Boulder-based Integrated People Solutions.

?There’s an overwhelming demand for the folks with skills in implementing systems that reduce long-term labor and capital costs,? Pringle said. It may seem surprising that companies are spending on technology; however, Pringle maintains that ?if they’re spending on technology, they’re spending on something that will save them money down the road.?

Necessity is driving the hiring needs of technology companies such as IBM in Boulder. The company is still hiring people with critical skills, said Lon Levitan, an IBM representative.

?Software and hardware engineers, microelectronic engineers are where we look for people the most,? he said.

Seagate Technology Inc. also seeks electrical engineers, but with disk drive or storage industry experience, said Cindy LaRocque, a company representative.

Although companies have cut back, they still need technology that vendors such as IBM and Seagate can provide for them. ?These areas have slowed, but they’re picking up,? Osborn said of technology. ?The recession is towards the end.?

Winter also sees the economy’s glass as half full.

?The state of the economy is not nearly as bad (in Colorado) as compared to the rest of the nation’s economy,? he said.

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