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Job Vacancy Survey

Data on the State's Unfilled Jobs

During the 4th quarter of 2008, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) conducted a survey of 10,000 employers across the state, asking them to provide a snapshot of:

The number and types of positions open for immediate hire
The educational and training requirements for those positions
The wages and benefits offered to applicants for those positions
The degree to which employers are satisfied with the educational and training attainments of their new hires
The hiring activities planned by employers for the next six months

The data accumulated by the Massachusetts Job Vacancy survey —an ongoing semiannual series that began in the 4th quarter of 2002 — is instrumental in accomplishing following critical public policy objectives:

Identify and respond to turning points in the economy
Help analysts identify emerging labor and skill shortages
Design training programs that match the labor needs of the Massachusetts economy
Analyze labor needs and employment opportunities by economic region
Determine which segments of the work force are affected most adversely by economic changes

In addition, the Job Vacancy Survey provides the following important benefits for employers and job seekers:

Help business managers develop effective recruiting strategies
Help job seekers identify the industries and occupations in which they are likely to find jobs;

Survey recipients are selected at random by industry, size and region. Responses are weighted and scaled to produce statistically valid results.

Massachusetts Business Hiring Expectations for the 1st Quarter 2009 as collected in October and November 2008 as part of the semi-annual 2008 4th Quarter Job Vacancy Survey are now published separately. This report can be accessed from the Business Hiring Expectations webpage.