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Each year, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Labor Market Information (LMI) Department, a unit of the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, conducts an occupational employment and wage survey of businesses across the state. The data from that survey are used as an input to produce short-term employment projections of occupational needs for Arkansas and the state’s ten Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB) areas. Complete results of both the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Survey and Occupational Employment Projections are published on the LMI website Discover Arkansas at https://www.discover.arkansas.gov.

Released July 1 of each year, the Projected Employment Opportunities List (also known as the demand occupations list) provides results from analysis of annual occupational demand, which includes both new and replacement job openings, to highlight those occupations with the highest projected need for workers. These occupations are determined by considering industry and occupational growth along with historical job openings data.

In addition, each occupation included on the Projected Employment Opportunities List was crossed with those Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) codes that train for that occupation. This, in turn, creates a list of demand training programs. This information is displayed in a separate table.

It should be noted that if an occupation is deemed in demand statewide, that occupation is automatically considered in demand for all LWDB areas.

Should you require further information or need assistance in interpreting the information found within, please do not hesitate to contact the LMI department for guidance.

E-mail: belinda.gomez@arkansas.gov
Phone: 501-682-3118

Adding to the List

While the Projected Employment Opportunities List is based on a comprehensive analysis of demand factors, labor market conditions may change during the year. Therefore, LWDBs can request that additional occupations and training programs be added to the list for their area if they demonstrate that there is an area of need in their labor market area. Examples of documented need include:

1. Proof that the course content of the training program not on the list is substantially (more than 50%) contained within a training program that is on the list.
2. A collection of letters (minimum of three) from employers stating their current intention to hire and a recurring need for individuals trained in the program.
3. Proof that the training program experiences repeated high placement and wage.
4. Results from labor market surveys that utilize reliable procedures (i.e., survey of local employers to see how many workers they anticipate needing within the next year).
5. Proof from Chambers of Commerce, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and/or local industrial development organizations of the verified need for additional trained workers in the training program.
6. Information that relates to staffing patterns. Examples include plant openings or expansions, plant closings or occupation obsolescence, emerging occupations related to technical changes or other salient causative factors. An occupation will be added to the state list only if the documentation supports the occupation statewide and all ten local areas are in agreement that it should be added. The documentation above is/was not required for the five targeted occupations that the local area has/had the option of adding.

Such requests must be made in writing and submitted to:

Arkansas Division of Workforce Services Labor Market Information
ATTN: Belinda Gomez
P.O. Box 2981
Little Rock, AR 72203 OR
E-mail: belinda.gomez@arkansas.gov.

Uses of the List

The Projected Employment Opportunities List has many uses. It is used by the Unemployment Insurance program to help determine a claimant's work search status. It is used in conjunction with the WDA Eligible Training Provider list. A training program must appear on the list to be WDA certified. It may be used by education planners to determine the possibility of establishing new programs. The list may also be used by individuals who are interested in knowing what training they need in order to have the best chance at finding a job.