Nursing, teaching jobs grow in spite of rising unemployment

Jobless claims were up 69,000 from the previous week as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, signaling a steeper than expected rise in the nation's unemployment. Utah still maintains an unemployment rate under three percent, but placing Weber State University students into jobs after graduation may not be as easy as it has been.

While some jobs may be disappearing, there are still entire professional sectors suffering from labor shortages. Nursing, teaching, logistics, engineering and computer science are a few of the professions needing qualified labor.

"We can't produce enough nurses and caregivers for the graying of America," said Winn Stanger, WSU Career Services Director. "The need for nursing will continue."

Stanger also said the demand for nursing currently challenges WSU's ability to educate and train nurses in sufficient numbers. He said the WSU nursing program is forced to turn away 30 percent of applicants each year because class size is strictly limited.

Stanger said the need for teachers will continue as well. He said the state of Utah was 300 teachers short this year.

"I think it could be said that any teacher has multiple [job] offers available to them," Stanger said.

Stanger also said the major teacher shortages were in elementary education, special education, math and the sciences.

Dave Demille, WSU graduate in physical science composite teaching said, "I started looking for a job in early April and got a job in late May. Because I was a science teacher one of the school districts waived some of their hiring procedures to kind of put me at the front of the line."

The difficulty in attracting employees into these fields is a result of the type of work done and the wage paid.

"It's obviously hard," Demille said. "The money, the pain-in-the-neck students, the hoops you have to jump through and the demands are frustrating. More and more responsibility is placed on teachers in school to fill the need left by parents who aren't involved."

Last year the teaching wage in Utah was increased by $2,000 to $3,000 per year and new legislation is before the state legislature this year to increase education funding once again.

2004 at $27,000 per year and now makes $31,000 per year. He also said he likes his hours and enjoys watching his pain-in-the-neck students change.

The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued a report in May 2006 that listed the average hourly wage for a Registered Nurse at $26.24. The average annual salary was $54,590. Nursing wages are very attractive, they are frequently hired with bonuses and the hours are often very flexible, but there is some difficulty in acquiring the education. WSU has one of the premier nursing schools in the west.

The WSU School of Business prepares students in logistics and supply chain management, two fields also facing a labor shortage.

Regarding his work with the WSU Career Center, Stanger said, "We help people know who they are, what they want to do, and how to get the kind of career they want."

Stanger said that the WSU Career Center is sponsoring a Career Fair on Thursday, Feb. 14th in the Shepherd Union Building between 9am and 3pm featuring over 100 employers.

Even if unemployment rises due to a weakening economy, jobs in areas where there are professional shortages will still likely be abundant.