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Local Area I includes 62 counties, mostly in Central and Western Kansas. This labor market has a strong demand for workers. Employers reported an estimated 8,573 job vacancies during the second quarter of 2008. The average number of individuals unemployed in this area during this time was 10,526. This translates to an average of 1.23 unemployed persons per job vacancy, the second lowest among all Local Areas.
Sixty–eight percent of these openings were fulltime, permanent positions. Furthermore, the results indicate a job vacancy rate of 3.5 percent which is equivalent to 3.5 vacancies for every 100 filled positions.
- Job Vacancies by Industry
The Education and Health Services supersector reported the largest number of job vacancies, with approximately 2,802 openings and a 4.1 percent job vacancy rate. Trade, Transportation and Utilities reported the second largest number of vacancies with an estimated 1,985 openings and a 3.8 percent job vacancy rate.
- Job Vacancies by Occupation
Demand for workers was spread across all major occupational groups. The Office and Administrative Support group reported the most job vacancies, approximately 1,079, followed by the Sales and Related occupational group with 986 vacancies and the Transportation and Material Movers occupational group with 916 job vacancies.
The occupational groups with the highest job vacancy rates were Farming, Fishing and Forestry at 8.9 percent and Architecture and Engineering at 7.7 percent.
In terms of occupations, Hand Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers had the most job vacancies in Local Area I with an estimated 629 openings. Next were Nursing Aides, Orderlies and Attendants with 539, Retail Salespersons with 427, Registered Nurses with 417, and Slaughterers and Meat Packers with 375 openings. These five occupations accounted for nearly 28 percent of the total estimated job vacancies in Local Area I.
- Job Vacancies by Employer Size
Forty-two percent of all openings, approximately 3,639, were with employers that have five to 49 employees. This employer size along with employers that have one to four employees, reported the highest job vacancy rate of 3.7 percent.
The smallest class size of employers, one to four employees, reported the least number of job vacancies, and employers with 50 to 249 employees offered the lowest average minimum and maximum wages among the four size classes.
- Education
The average minimum and maximum wages offered increased with the level of education required. Approximately 11 percent of the job openings in Local Area I required a bachelor’s or advanced degree, while 69 percent required no education or only a high school degree or GED.
Wages for job vacancies in Local Area I requiring vocational training, an associate’s degree or an advanced degree ran slightly higher than those reported statewide in the same categories.
Registered Nurses and Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Vocational Education, had the first and second most job vacancies on the list of the top ten occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree in Local Area I.
- Starting Wage Offer
The average minimum wage offered for job vacancies in Local Area I was $11.13 per hour, ranking third highest among all Local Areas. The average maximum wage offer was $12.25 per hour.
A substantial number of the openings in this area, approximately 5,205 or 61 percent, offered minimum starting wages of $6.00 to $11.99 per hour, the largest percentage of any of the Local Areas.
A total of 31 percent of all job vacancies in Local Area I offered $12.00 or more per hour, and only six percent offered wages of less than $6.00 per hour.
In Local Area I, job openings in Life, Physical and Social Science and Architecture and Engineering occupations paid the highest wages, and Personal Care and Service and Food Preparation and Serving-Related occupations paid the lowest.
Overall, the Local Area I median minimum wage offer was $8.90 per hour, and the median maximum wage offer was $9.50 per hour. The median wage offer represents the value in the middle when all wage offers are arranged from lowest to highest.
- Duration of Job Vacancies
The majority of job vacancies in this area, 34 percent, were reported as always being open, followed by those reported as being open for 30-59 days, 27 percent.
Several healthcare-related occupations were consistently on the list of the top ten occupations “always open.” Three of the top ten occupations on this list were healthcare-related, including Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Nursing Aides. Other occupations that were on this list, and on the list in most of the other Local Areas, were Waiters and Waitresses and Retail Salespersons.
- Local Area I Tables
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