Why do job vacancies remain vacant?

With more than 13 percent of Northern Nevada's workforce unemployed, why are some employers having so much trouble filling vacant positions?

As they gather at networking events and association meetings, managers and owners commonly share stories of vacancies that stayed vacant for many weeks and applicant pools that prove to be surprisingly shallow.

Professional recruiters and human resources experts say, however, that the phenomenon isn't all that surprising.

For starters, the pool of jobseekers may not be as large as a 13 percent jobless rate would indicate.

"There are a lot of unemployable in the unemployed," says Marie C.S. Soucie, president and chief executive officer of MCSS Ltd., a staffing agency in Reno.

No matter how high the unemployment rate may be, there's no guarantee that the particular skill that an employer needs will be in plentiful supply, says Pieter Droog, branch manager in Reno for ProNet, a nonprofit that supports job-hunting professionals and executives.

While unemployment currently cuts across many skills and professions, he says that the number of jobless workers ebbs and flows among crafts and professions from month to month and year to year.

And Christine Brame, senior director with Accountants International in Reno, says that the very nature of the recession also may reduce the size of candidate pools for potential openings.

On one hand, she says currently employed workers - people who might have considered changing jobs during good times - are less likely to be looking for new positions these days. They'd rather stay where they are than take a new position with low seniority somewhere else.

Job-swappers account for a significant portion of the applicant pool during good times, and their absence these days means far fewer good candidates are filling out applications.

The situation is tightened further, Brame says, because out-of-town candidates also are less likely to be applying for jobs in northern Nevada.

Some companies have cut back on relocation reimbursements, she says, while candidates almost anywhere in the nation know they'd have trouble selling a house if they decided to relocate for a new job.

On the other hand, the number of unemployed people in the region - the jobless rate translates into 29,600 people who are looking for work in Washoe County alone - may be contributing to employers' problems, says Mindi Brenner, a consultant and president of the Northern Nevada Human Resources Society. Given a flood of applicants, some employers don't know how to begin to sort through them all.

And Soucie says some of the companies with which her placement firm works want to spend lots of time digging through a large pile of resumes. "They want to see everyone in town," she says. "Clients are taking longer to make a decision."

For some companies, the long decision-making reflects a decision to increase the minimum qualifications for a position, says Droog. Rather than hire a mechanic, he jokes, they begin looking for someone with a master's degree in automotive technology - and the higher threshold adds to the time that positions stand vacant.

Employers, Brame says, shouldn't count on high unemployment as a lever to low-ball wage and benefits packages, particularly when they look to fill highly skilled positions.

"There are a lot of people who are sticking to their guns," she says.

But that's not universal.

Among the ProNet participants who have found work in recent months, Droog says salaries average $19,000 less than their previous job. A year ago, the average pay cut was $12,000.

For employers looking to fill vacancies during the recession, recruitment experts offer these tips: • Don't move too quickly to eliminate candidates who may appear to be overqualified. Brenner says they won't necessarily jump ship at first opportunity when the economy recovers, particularly if they're given a chance to grow professionally.

• Remember that potential employees increasingly look for more than a paycheck. Brame says they want to know that their employer is secure, and they also hope to work for a company whose products and community involvement promote a better world.

• The best way to prevent longstanding vacancies is through prevention of turnover. "If you can keep your good employees today, it's going to help your company down the road," says Brame.