NEWS/RECORDS
WEDNESDAY, JULY 4, 2018
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A5
New fair coordinator
prepares for August event
By BRITTANY NORTON
STAFF WRITER
FILE PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Construction crews contracted by the Wenaha Group work on the Hawthorne School building in December 2014 in Pendleton.
Construction workers and carpenters are among the difficult-to-fill jobs that make up the majority of job vacancies in Eastern
Oregon.
Eastern Oregon lacks workers to fill jobs
Low
unemployment
rates and rapid
job growth
leave many
job vacancies,
especially in
Eastern Oregon
By BRITTANY NORTON
STAFF WRITER
The good news is Ore-
gon’s unemployment num-
bers are the lowest they’ve
been in recent history. The
bad news is now the state
lacks enough workers to fill
job openings.
According to a report
released by the Oregon
Employment Department,
there were a large num-
ber of difficult-to-fill job
vacancies in Oregon in
2017. The report says there
were 60,700 job vacancies
at any given time in 2017,
and over half of these were
classified as “difficult to
fill” — mainly due to lack
of applicants. Other reasons
employers listed vacancies
as difficult to fill included
unfavorable working condi-
tions, a lack of experience
and a lack of soft skills such
as showing up on time .
“Right now there are a
lot of job opportunities, and
I’m not sure everyone feels
that way because they’re not
looking at the data,” said
state employment economist
Nick Beleiciks.
The Eastern Oregon
region, including Umatilla,
Morrow, Union, Wallowa,
Grant, Baker, Malheur and
Harney counties, had 1,424
difficult-to-fill vacancies,
which accounts for about 62
percent of all job vacancies
in the region. Truck drivers,
carpenters, personal care
aides, construction labor-
ers, farmworkers and restau-
rant cooks topped the list of
occupations.
The report noted that
Oregon “has enjoyed solid
job growth and record low
unemployment over the past
few years,” so it is to be
expected that some jobs go
unoccupied.
According to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics, Ore-
gon’s unemployment rate is
4.1 percent, which is at its
lowest point on records dat-
ing back to 1976. The report
estimates that Oregon’s total
employment will grow by 12
percent by 2027. The private
health care industry will lead
the way in job growth with
the health care sector creat-
ing about one out of every
five new jobs in Oregon by
2027. Construction is pro-
jected to be the second-fast-
est growing industry at 17
percent, due to population
and economic growth and
low vacancy rates across
most of the state.
According to Beleiciks,
lack of job seekers could
hinder the growth of some
businesses.
“We hear from construc-
tion workers that they’d like
to take on more jobs, but
they just can’t find enough
workers in order to commit
to those new jobs,” he said.
“I think construction is a
pretty easy example where
you can see them not build-
ing that next house because
the staff that they have is
already busy.”
Beleiciks says the trend
of young adults choosing to
pursue bachelor’s degrees,
and thus forgo trade pro-
fessions, is a common sen-
timent he hears, but there is
more to the story.
“Another aspect of it
is, are there enough train-
ing programs to meet the
needs of the industry or the
young people who do want
to get into the trades? Are
there enough opportunities
for them to learn this skill?”
He said there are programs
being introduced to provide
Oregon residents with skills
training that are necessary
qualifications for these jobs.
In early 2018, Gov. Kate
Brown launched the Future
Ready Oregon initiative that
aims to prepare the work-
force in two ways. The first
is preparing the future work-
force, such as kids in school
or adults changing careers or
just entering the workforce.
The second is preparing the
current workforce, which
encompasses those who are
looking for a path to a bet-
ter job.
According to Shalee
Hodges, initiative manager
for Future Ready Oregon,
the program hopes to expand
opportunities for appren-
ticeships beyond construc-
tion trades and into informa-
tion technology, health care
and manufacturing. It also
plans on holding industry
roundtables with employers
from food processing, con-
struction and manufacturing
industries to hear what their
hiring challenges are.
“Right now there
are a lot of job
opportunities,
and I’m not sure
everyone feels that
way because they’re
not looking at the
data.”
Nick Beleiciks,
Employment economist
Hodges said there are
many reasons employers
have a hard time hiring peo-
ple, including lack of work-
force skills.
“Part of what I think we
need to do is focus on people
who haven’t really worked
or haven’t been successful in
work,” she said. “And sup-
porting them in removing
the barriers that they have in
their lives and really becom-
ing successful and becoming
self-sufficient.”
Closer to home, Blue
Mountain Community Col-
lege collaborates with com-
munity partners to evaluate
workforce gaps. The col-
lege has advisory commit-
tees that are composed of
about 50 percent community
partners — such as business
leaders — that represent
what employers are look-
ing for in workers. There
also are apprenticeship and
cooperative internship pro-
grams that allow students to
gain real world experience
and learn what skills are
important for entering the
workforce.
Mary Jeanne Kuhar,
vice president of instruc-
tion at BMCC, says the col-
lege is always looking for
new opportunities to pro-
vide to students. An exam-
ple is the data center tech-
nician program, which was
implemented because there
were job openings in Board-
man. Related opportunities
continued to grow, and local
employers said they needed
more students, so the college
expanded the program.
“I think we’re always
looking for areas where
there’s workforce need
and then working with the
employers, and with our
public partners as well, to
figure out how we can meet
that need,” she said.
As for Oregonians who
are currently searching for
jobs, Beleiciks has some
advice:
“One thing that really
stood out [in the report] is
employers are looking for
previous work experience,”
he said. “I like to point this
out when people are search-
ing for a job: to highlight the
related work experience —
whatever they have that is
related to the job — because
we know from this data
that’s one thing employers
are really looking for.”
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27
3:44 p.m. — A suicidal subject was reported on
Northeast Misty Drive, Hermiston.
6:46 p.m. — An assault was reported at West
Madrona Avenue, Hermiston.
10:54 p.m. — Several people were fist-fighting at
North First Street, Hermiston.
11:24 p.m. — Two adult women were fighting in
the street on West Sunland Avenue, Hermiston.
THURSDAY, JUNE 28
3:28 p.m. — A caller on East Reeder Drive was
in the Hermiston Police Department lobby to speak
with an officer regarding another female sending
messages about her husband.
6:56 p.m. — A woman was at Goodwill on West
Umatilla County
increases DUII
patrols for
summer events
HERMISTON HERALD
The Umatilla County
Sheriff’s
Office
will
increase its efforts to catch
impaired drivers in July
starting Tuesday.
The sheriff’s office
announced a grant from
the Oregon State Sheriff’s
Association is covering the
cost of extra patrols look-
ing for impaired and dis-
tracted drivers during the
Fourth of July, the Pendle-
ton Whisky Music Fest on
July 13 and 14 and Pendle-
ton Bike Week, July 17-22.
The sheriff’s office
stated 188 people died in
crashes in 2016 involv-
ing at least one driver
with a blood alcohol con-
centration of .08 percent
or higher, an increase of
28 percent from 2015.
Nearly half of those who
died were in a vehicle with
at least one driver with
a blood alcohol concen-
tration of .15 percent —
almost twice the legal limit
— or higher.
These statistics do
not include persons driv-
ing under the influence of
drugs, or a combination of
drugs and alcohol.
The sheriff’s office also
asked the public to call
541-966-3651 to report
possible drunk drivers or
call 911 if there appears to
be an emergency.
Mendenhall initiated into honor society
BATON ROUGE, La.
— Hailey Mendenhall of
Hermiston was recently
initiated into the Honor
Society of Phi Kappa Phi,
the nation’s oldest and
most selective collegiate
honor society, at Eastern
Oregon University.
Mendenhall
was
among
approximately
30,000 students, faculty,
professional staff and
alumni to be initiated into
Phi Kappa Phi each year.
Membership is by invi-
tation only and requires
nomination and approval
by a chapter. Only the top
10 percent of seniors and
7.5 percent of juniors are
eligible for membership.
BIRTH
POLICE LOG
TUESDAY, JUNE 26
10:35 p.m. — An assault was reported at North
First Street, Hermiston.
With opening day just
over a month away, the
Umatilla County Fair’s
new coordinator is work-
ing make the second year
at the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center a
success.
Angie
McNalley
assumed the title of fair
coordinator in April, after
former fair coordinator
Cyndie Driscoll resigned
in March.
McNalley was formerly
the administrative assistant
of the fair, which acts as
a support position for the
manager, and said she is
familiar with many of the
responsibilities of being
fair coordinator.
“It wasn’t the right time
in years past when our
managers have left for me
to accept the promotion,”
she said. McNalley has a
16-year-old son, and said
now that he’s older she has
more time to devote to the
fair.
In addition to pro-
moting McNalley to fair
coordinator, the Umatilla
County Fair board has
implemented a variety of
other changes in attempts
to improve this year’s
event. One such change
is the flow of the parking
lot and the appointment of
Luke Dynes as the fair’s
new parking director.
Although the new
grounds at the Eastern Ore-
gon Trade and Event Cen-
ter had more paved parking
spots than years past, many
fair-goers left upset over
how long it took to exit the
lot at the end of the night.
McNalley said the fair
board has found insight
from the layout of the new
fairgrounds to enhance
parking, improve security
and better serve vendors
based on the general flow
of foot traffic.
“I’m just excited this
year because we’ve gone
through our first year and
we’ve learned so much and
gone through a lot of the
aches and pains,” she said.
She also hopes to
improve the carnival com-
pared to years past. The
company that supplies
the carnival rides, Davis
Amusement Cascadia, is
under new management
and McNalley is optimistic
that carnival rides will go
more smoothly this year.
“There were issues with
the contractors that the car-
nival was using and it kind
of left a bad taste in every-
body’s mouth and I know
that over the years every-
body has been asking for
more rides, bigger rides
and better rides, so that’s
where we’re at this year,”
she said.
Nonetheless, McNal-
ley said despite the stress
of planning the fair, she
enjoys seeing it come to
fruition: “Watching it all
come together. That’s the
best part.”
The Umatilla County
Fair is August 7-11.
Theater Lane and found a bag with white powder
inside it and brought it to Fiesta Foods. She thinks it
is a drug and asked an officer to come pick it up.
FRIDAY, JUNE 29
12:03 a.m. — A caller reported shots fired on
West Hartley Avenue, Hermiston. Police were unable
to locate.
11:11 a.m. — A suicidal subject was reported on
East Newport Avenue, Hermiston.
9:21 p.m. — a caller reported shots fired on
Southwest 11th Street, Hermiston. Police were unable
to locate.
SATURDAY, JUNE 30
4:54 p.m. — A3-year-old boy was reported miss-
ing from West Ridgeway Avenue, Hermiston.
5:28 p.m. — A domestic disturbance was
reported at Butte Park in Hermiston.
9:15 p.m. — A suicidal subject was reported on
East Newport Avenue, Hermiston.
11:07 p.m. — A woman was reportedly trying to
stab herself on East Newport Avenue, Hermiston.
SUNDAY, JULY 1
12:02 a.m. — A burglary was reported on West
Hermiston Avenue, Hermiston.
9:56 a.m. — A domestic disturbance was
reported on Southwest 13th Place, Hermiston.
5:08 p.m. — A burglary was reported on East
Main Street, Hermiston.
5:36 p.m. — Drug activity was reported on South-
west 13th Place, Hermiston.
5:38 p.m. — Child abuse/neglect was reported on
Highway 395, Hermiston.
7:33 p.m. — A prowler was reported on West
Hartley Avenue, Hermiston.
8:55 p.m. — A burglary was reported on East
Gladys Avenue, Hermiston.
11:39 p.m. — Someone reported a man kicked in
a door and violated a restraining order on Southeast
Fourth Street, Hermiston.
Good Shepherd Medical Center, Hermiston
JUNE 20, 2018
ARMSTRONG — Laurel Armstrong and R.E. Arm-
strong of Lexington: twins, Iris Lynn Armstrong (girl)
and Rune Ender Armstrong (boy).
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