Help wanted: construction and pharmaceutical industries.
According to a recent analysis by iCIMS, which provides applicant tracking and HR recruiting software, companies are struggling to fill job positions in pharmaceuticals and construction.
The pharmaceutical industry has the most unfilled positions, with twice as many positions available as there are job applicants, MarketWatch reports.
“This is largely due to the high concentration of positions at those organizations that require extremely specialized skills, certifications and degrees,” says Susan Vitale, the chief marketing officer for iCIMS. “The supply of truly qualified candidates is not keeping pace with the industry’s growth demands for those specialized talents.” Indeed, the industry needs to fill positions like scientists, chemists and researchers, and sometimes has trouble finding people to fit that bill.
The 2010 Affordable Care Act, technological advances, consolidation and company mergers have also contributed to the increase in job openings, MarketWatch said.
iCIMS said the second largest talent shortage is in construction, with just 94 applicants for every 100 job openings. The construction industry is ramping up again after grinding to a near halt after the Great Recession.
The outlook is good for both residential and commercial construction, as permits to build new homes increased 30 percent this June compared with June 2014 and housing starts rose nearly 27 percent, MarketWatch said.
If you’re a job seeker, both the construction and pharmaceutical industries offer promising, good paying careers.
But not all industries are struggling to fill jobs, MarketWatch noted.
On the flip side, those looking for energy jobs right now might be sorely disappointed; there were twice as many job applicants in the energy industry as there were jobs. When it comes to the energy industry, Vitale says that this issue is likely due to “the drop in the price of oil and even changes to the government’s policies regarding alternative energy home and business conversions” which have “caused a decrease in the overall number of available energy sector jobs.”
In other job news, U.S. employers added 215,000 jobs in July – 6,000 in construction, the Associated Press reports. The unemployment rate remained steady at 5.3 percent for the second month in a row.
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