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SALT LAKE CITY -- Even with layoffs and rising unemployment, some jobs still go begging for applicants. The Utah Department of Workforce Services calls them "Hot Jobs," and having the right skills in your Tough Times Survival Bank can be almost a sure ticket to landing one.
"They can't find enough students to fill those positions. Again, this leads to meaningful employment and great opportunities for the students. They just need to do their own homework," said Richard Nelson, president of the Utah Technology Council.
We did some of that homework and found that Utah's most difficult-to-fill occupations are these:
- Registered Nurses (this job is at the top of the list)
- Engineers (of all kinds, including computer software, mechanical, civil and electrical)
- Surgical technologists
- Pharmacists
- Plumbers
There's a common thread that runs through that list, and Nelson sums it up with the acronym STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). "Get serious about more rigorous classes. Talk to industry [personnel] and find out where the needs really are," Nelson said.
The Utah report closely mirrors a national Manpower survey of the hardest jobs to fill because of an apparent shortage of certain skills in the American workforce.
"We have to have very talented young men and women, particularly in nursing, ready to be interested in the sciences as they graduate from high school," said Dr. Kirtly Jones, OB/GYN physician at the University Hospital.
For more information about jobs in demand in Utah and how to prepare for them CLICK HERE.
E-mail: blindsay@ksl.com
