Oregon's Skills in Demand

What specific skills are employers looking for when hiring new workers?

They look for a variety of basic and technical skills, and certain basic skills will remain in demand well into the future. Some examples of basic skills that an employer might like to see in a potential job seeker, regardless of the occupation for which they are hiring, include basic problem solving, customer service, and the ability to interact well with others.

While certain basic skills (e.g., communication skills) will always be valuable to employers, changes in the economy will continue to create demand for new skills. For instance, growth in the availability and use of computers has affecred the skills employers need in the workers.

The recession did not have a dramatic effect on the skills most demanded by employers. In fact, of the 20 skills most demanded in 2008 and the 20 most demanded in 2009, 17 skills were the same.

Here are the skills that were consistently in the highest demand over the last couple of years:

• Apply health and sanitation standards

• Follow safety procedures
• Maneuver heavy objects
• Obtain information from clients, customers, patients, or others
• Process records and maintain forms and files
• Provide customer service
• Provide customer service using telephone
• Receive payments and make change
• Use basic mathematics
• Use computers to enter, access, and retrieve data
• Use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling
• Work as a team member

This article was written by Research Analyst Jen McInroe (503.947.1734 | Jennifer.A.McInroe@state.or.us). You can learn more in the full article!