Employers cite top 10 hard-to-fill jobs using resident workers

A recently released survey among over 200 CNMI employers disclosed the top 10 jobs in the private sector that are hard to fill with local residents. These are accountants and bookkeepers, sales/customer service/front desk, professional, manager/supervisor, construction trades, mechanics, cook/baker/chef, information technology, and maintenance cleaner.

This was part of the findings presented by Northern Marianas College-Small Business Development director Eric Plinske in Thursday’s workforce development summit.

In the same survey, employers said that their “moderate to great need” are the following job classifications: accountant/bookkeeper, supervisory/managerial, customer service, skilled workers, sales and marketing, clerical/administrative, information technology, retail clerk/cashier, and communications.

The Department of Labor has said that the top 15 jobs occupied by nonresident workers in the CNMI are:

Small machine operator/sewers/handsewer, [8,034]; house worker [1,376]; commercial cleaner [ 827]; waitress/waiter [803]; accountants [735]; cook [707]; farmer [498]; carpenter [477]; mason [444]; presser [428]; administrative assistant [329]; manager [276]; cutter [271]; electrician [243]; and general manager [222].

As of Oct. 30, 2006, the Department of Labor has issued 28,447 work permits to nonresident workers. The department said this has been declining in the past years.

Labor deputy director Alfred Pangelinan said that, from a high of 35,051 permits issued in 2004, the number went down to 33,272 in 2005.

In terms of local employment, Pangelinan said the number of job referrals has been increasing. He said that in 2004, 292 local residents were successfully placed in jobs previously occupied by nonresidents, 389 in 2005, and 379 so far in 2006.

He said there were 1,262 registered applicants in 2004, 1,807 in 2005, and 1,923 so far this year or from January to Oct. 30 2006.

The government is currently conducting a jobs audit in the private sector to see if there are jobs currently occupied by guest workers that can be filled by eligible resident workers.

The Office of the Public Auditor said preliminary findings showed there are hundreds of these jobs that can be filled by qualified residents.