LINCOLN – Labor Availability and Hiring Needs Reports for North Platte, Ogallala, and McCook are now available at NEworks.nebraska.gov.

The reports cover responses from 13 counties, 409 businesses, and over 1,000 households on topics including hiring difficulty, barriers to employment, job openings, and important factors when seeking employment. The survey area population in total includes over 56,000 adults and an estimated total labor force of over 37,000.

Job Seeker Findings

• The surveys found an estimated 17,131 potential job seekers 18 and older in the survey areas. 
• Salary, along with job security and stability, were the factors most important to potential job seekers when considering new employment.  Company values, paid vacation, retirement benefits, and using existing skills were also highly ranked. 
• Most employed potential job seekers listed commute time, work schedule, security and stability, and using their existing skills as the top factors that lead to job satisfaction. 
• Potential job seekers reported inadequate pay and benefits, lack of job opportunities in the area, and work schedule flexibility as obstacles to employment.

Employer Findings

• Survey respondents listed construction, retail trade, and manufacturing as the industries with the most difficulty hiring workers. 
• The percentage of frequently hired jobs reported as difficult to fill ranged from 79 percent in Ogallala to 94 percent in the McCook area.
• By far the most common reason for hiring difficulty cited by employers was a lack of applicants (84-90% depending on the area). Poor work history, lack of work experience, and wage demands were the next most common reasons employers cited across the survey areas.
• The most commonly listed skill where employers said employees needed additional training was leadership. Critical thinking, problem solving, and verbal communication were also listed. More McCook employers noted advanced computer skills as an area for additional training.
• Between 85 and 87 percent of businesses in all areas surveyed indicated that they increased pay to expand their candidate pool. Over half of responding McCook businesses (56 percent) reported increasing benefits to address difficulty hiring.  Other measures taken by employers in the three survey areas included increasing hiring of interns/temporary workers and using workforce system resources, among others.
• The most commonly listed skill where employers said employees needed additional training was leadership. Critical thinking, problem solving, and verbal communication were also listed. More McCook employers noted advanced computer skills as an area for additional training.
• Between 85 and 87 percent of businesses in all areas surveyed indicated that they increased pay to expand their candidate pool. Over half of responding McCook businesses (56 percent) reported increasing benefits to address difficulty hiring.  Other measures taken by employers in the three survey areas included increasing hiring of interns/temporary workers and using workforce system resources, among others.

Published alongside the labor availability reports is a Mid-Plains skills gap report. Worker shortages exist primarily in occupations that have lower formal education and work experience requirements. They range across industries and occupations, including H3 (High wage, High skill, High demand) designated occupations.

Questions about the survey findings may be directed to lmi_ne@nebraska.gov.

NDOL press releases are accessible at dol.nebraska.gov/PressRelease.