The Denver Office of Economic Development and the Workforce Board of Metro Denver today released a regional workforce supply and demand study. Titled the 2007 Denver Regional Workforce Gap Analysis, the study provides a comprehensive workforce profile and identifies major occupational gaps through 2011 for the nine-county Denver metro region.

The study was commissioned by the Denver Office of Economic Development and authored by Development Research Partners.

“We’re building upon our regional approach to develop the human capital needed to sustain and build metro Denver’s economy,” said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. “This study provides an important roadmap for developing regional workforce solutions among industry, educators and government.”

The study shows that the greatest workforce gaps for the region occur within four major industries: business support/financial services, construction, healthcare and information communication technology. Specifically, the strongest occupational gaps exist within the following occupations: business and financial operations, computer and mathematical, construction and extraction, healthcare practitioners and technical, and healthcare support.

“The identification of occupational gaps provides one of the best indicators of where our workforce efforts can be best targeted,” said Mark Pingrey, chairman of the Workforce Board of Metro Denver. “These are the industries where there is the greatest need to develop training programs, while linking job seekers with employers, which ultimately contributes to a stronger economy.”

The 72-page report includes analysis for Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties. In addition to an analysis of workforce supply, demand and occupational gaps, the study also explores workforce issues for industries affected by the occupational gaps. A series of focus groups were held with business leaders comprising these industries. Topics addressed include skills, hiring, education/training and most important business needs.

Copies of the 2007 Denver Regional Workforce Gap Analysis are available online at http://www.milehigh.com//resources/custom/pdf/2007DenverRegionalWorkforceGapReport9-24-07FINAL.pdf.

The Denver Office of Economic Development (OED) works to create a local environment that stimulates balanced economic growth through job creation, business assistance, housing options and neighborhood redevelopment. The OED Division of Workforce Development is a full-service employment and training agency meeting the recruiting and training needs of businesses, job seekers and youth throughout the metro area.

The Workforce Board of Metro Denver is a regional collaborative representing eight public workforce development regions including Adams, Arapahoe/Douglas, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties. The Metro Board is comprised of the director and a Workforce Investment Board member from each of the eight local workforce development system regions.