The February edition of Strictly Business featured findings from a labor availability survey commissioned by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and analyzed by the Nebraska Department of Labor. Following are additional findings from the Omaha survey area:
• More than half of potential job seekers said they had at least a bachelor’s degree.
• The median tenure of employed potential job seekers at their current job was five years.
• Of those potential seekers who answered questions about the more important factors they look for in a job, 89.4 percent said salary was either important or very important to them. Salary was the only factor that over half of respondents listed as very important.
• Of the potential job seekers who answered questions about employment obstacles, over 60 percent listed inadequate pay and lack of job opportunities as obstacles to changing jobs or reentering the workforce within the next year. Inadequate benefits and inadequate hours were also commonly cited by potential job seekers as obstacles to employment at 54 percent and 45.6 percent, respectively.
• Paid vacation, dental insurance and health insurance were far more important to potential job seekers making $100,000 and over per year than those making $25,000 or under annually.
The survey report is available in full at neworks.nebraska.gov under the Labor Market Information Publications link. Contact the Department of Labor at (402) 471-4189 or the Department of Economic Development at (402) 471-3749 for more information.