Kansas Department of Labor provides job outlooks for graduates

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - The Hillcrest Community Center hosted a job fair Wednesday afternoon, including recent grads like Penn Erwin to explore potential jobs and career paths.

“It’s definitely been difficult trying to find a position,” said Erwin, a recent graduate of Fort Hayes State University. “I’ve applied for a lot of jobs just online, and so far I haven’t heard anything back, but I’m hoping that I’ll find something here. So that’s one of the main reasons why I came here.”

Penn is not alone. Many young graduates have had difficulties finding their next job in the current market.

“Though it is getting a little bit harder to find work, job searches are probably taking a little bit longer, but we’re still at really high levels of job openings throughout the state and unemployment is relatively low,” said Emily Doerksen, a Labor Economist from the Kansas Department of Labor. “So be patient and keep looking. There are opportunities out there.”

Those opportunities are more plentiful in growing fields. Some of those in Kansas include nursing, technology, and math-related occupations.

“Many of those occupations have great growth opportunities, so they have great areas to get into at entry level, and they have high earnings potential. So those are high-demand as well as high-wage occupations, so they’re great opportunities to your lifestyle,” said Doerksen.

The Kansas Department of Labor offers Today’s Occupational Report, which can be a way for high school graduates, or anyone, to learn about their next career steps.

“And that looks at occupations that are in high demand in the state but don’t require a bachelor’s degree,” said Doerksen. “So maybe you’re interested in becoming something like an electrician, which is also a great job that pays well and is in high demand. Construction laborers and a whole assortment of occupations are available.”

The Department of Labor provides a number of tools and reports that job seekers can use to refine and change their searches. This includes:

High-Demand Occupations- A list that combines current job postings with long-term projections to show jobs in highest demand, regardless of education.
T.O.T.O: Today’s Occupations, Tomorrow’s Opportunity- A website meant to guide students to understand and learn more about their career goals.