I. Executive Summary

About the Airport Jobs Center

Q Airport Jobs, the Sea-Tac Employment Information Center, was founded in January 2000 by the Office of Port Jobs to link job seekers from low-income communities to employment opportunities at SeaTac airport

Methodology

Q This report is based on data from a 15-minute phone survey, conducted from January to March 2001

Q The contact list included 98 persons who obtained jobs after visiting the Center, and who were randomly selected from 320 job seekers who visited the Center and were hired between January and November 2000.

Q Of the 98 contact persons, 30 completed the survey and 3 additional persons commented without completing the survey (34%), 30 (31%) were unreachable due to disconnected/wrong numbers, 11 (11%) refused to respond, and 24 (24%) contacts could not be reached after 4-5 attempts per contact

Q The survey data are supplemented by data from the Airport Jobs Center on the 8,431 job seekers who visited the office from January 2000 to January 2001

Results

Q Respondents praised the Center’s services and staff

Q Each month, an average of 649 first-time and returning visitors utilize the Center’s services

Q Center staff received excellent evaluations despite the fact that, on average, each of the Center’s 3 full-time staff members, with the assistance of student interns and 1 part-time staff member, serve 216 first-time and returning visitors per month

Q Many visitors hear about the Center through word-of-mouth from friends, relatives, and colleagues

Q The three most frequently used services, which were all rated very helpful or helpful, are the weekly job vacancy list, the job applications, and the job descriptions

Q The Center’s visibility could be improved through more signs, easily accessible directions, more advertising of seasonal jobs to students and retired persons, and broader marketing of its services

Q Other recommendations include weekend opening hours, a bigger space, information on vacancy status per job, and a greater selection of full-time jobs and jobs that fit with a college schedule

Q Additional airport job-related training, including computer training and technical training, would be most helpful in improving respondents’ job performance and enabling them to apply for jobs with higher skills requirements

Q Of the 30 respondents, 26 were invited to job interviews, and 23 were able to find a job as a result of their Center visit

Q The average hourly wage in the first job respondents started after visiting the center is $8.05, ranging from $6.50 to $13.57

Q Respondents who switched jobs, on average, earn, $2.64 more than in their previous job and either maintain or gain benefits

Q Several respondents in jobs with low wages and no benefits highlight problems of affording housing, transportation, health care, and safety related to night and early morning shifts

II. About the Airport Jobs Center

In January 2000, Airport Jobs opened its doors to visitors who were looking for airport-related jobs or wanted to know more about airport-related careers. The purpose of the Center is to link residents from low-income communities who are looking for jobs with employers that have employment opportunities. The Center is part of the Office of Port Jobs, which creates living wage job opportunities in the port economy for disadvantaged populations.

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Figure 1 Although the Center is run by only three full-time staff members (two Port Jobs, and one Washington State Employment Security), with several hours a week of additional help (King County Jobs Initiative and interns), it offers a broad range of services to very large number of job seekers. The Center’s services include job vacancy lists (hardcopy and online), job descriptions, assistance with job applications and resumes/cover letters, on-site interviews with Airport employers, referrals to community resources, as well as job fairs. Center staff refer visitors to social service agencies and nonprofits when needed (e.g., to assist with transportation, housing, child care or other supportive services), but the Center’s profile is based on linkages to job opportunities.

Interest in the Center’s employment services has been great. On average, Center staff assisted 649 job seekers per month in 2000 and January of 2001. Of this group, an average of 293 job seekers per month (45%) visited the Center for the first time. As Figure 1 shows, there has been consistently high interest in the Center’s services during 2000. The number of job seekers who visit the Center in 2001 is likely to exceed monthly 2000 levels since more people know about Airport Jobs and word-of-mouth is spreading fast. The fact that job seekers visited the Center a record 1,206 times in January 2001 potentially points to this trend (Figure 1). As Figure 2 in the appendix shows, two-thirds of all first-time visitors live within a 10-mile radius of the airport. 90% live within a 20-mile radius, 96 live within 30 miles of the airport, and the remaining 4% live in areas beyond that. These findings indicate that at least a third of all Center visitors would have long commutes (often without car access) if they were hired at the airport.

Many job seekers who turn to the Center are English learners, i.e. people whose native language is something other than English. This presents new communication challenges for Center staff since a broad range of language groups is represented, including African, Asian, and Eastern European languages.

III. Methodology

To track the performance of Airport Jobs after its first year of operation, a phone survey was conducted. The survey was designed to obtain feedback from job seekers who used the Airport Jobs employment center at Sea-Tac airport during 2000 and who were hired after visiting the Center. In addition, the survey sought to provide more information about the jobs people found as a result of their Center visit, and to follow up on their current employment status and situation. The 15-minute survey was conducted by phone during several mornings, afternoons and evenings from January to March 2001. It consisted of about 40 closed-ended and open questions about the Center’s services and staff, the respondent’s airport job(s), career advancement opportunities, job turn-over, and demographics (see appendix). All respondents were promised confidentiality.

Airport Jobs drew a random sample of 98 job seekers from a total of 320 who visited the Airport Jobs Center between January 24 and November 20, 2000 and were subsequently hired. The contact list used for the phone interviews contained phone numbers and language information about these 98 people who visited the Center from February to November 2000. Since the average time between the Center visit of a respondent and the time of the phone interview is only 6 months (ranging from 2-10 months on the job), not enough time has passed to determine longer-term trends of job tenure, wage increases or career advancement.

Of the 98 contact persons, 33 interviews (34%) were completed, including ten with people who speak at least one foreign language, and three people who did not want to answer survey questions but mentioned a few things about the Airport Jobs Center or their airport jobs. Besides English, the ten foreign-language respondents also spoke Tagalog, Amharic, German, Japanese, Spanish, Samoan, Punjabi, and Hindi. 30 (31%) were unreachable because of disconnected or wrong numbers. This fact points to high mobility among airport employees. Of these disconnected or wrong phone numbers, 9 were numbers of people who listed at least one foreign language. Eleven people refused to answer the survey. The refusals seemed to be related to the fact that people did not have time, did not want to be interrupted in their private lives, or were generally suspicious about sharing any sensitive information with a stranger. As is generally the case with surveys, respondents felt most uncomfortable with answering demographic questions about age, race, and education, as well as income-related questions. One respondent was very dissatisfied about airport job conditions, independently of the Center. She refused to participate in the survey but highlighted the problems of low wages and high transportation costs (she was commuting from Lakewood) that characterize many airport jobs. It does appear that the people who were most open to answering the survey questions and minded the interruption the least were people who are happy with their airport-related employment. Because of this fact and because the survey contact list only included Center visitors who were subsequently hired, the survey probably over-represents the group of Center visitors who are most successful at finding jobs, holding them, and advancing in them.

To reach as many respondents as possible, the phone survey was conducted in the morning, afternoon, and evening. It took up to 4-5 attempts to reach many respondents. The morning calls, starting at 10:30am, targeted respondents who worked in the afternoon and evening or who currently did not work. They were also used to identify disconnected and wrong numbers. The afternoon calls, starting at about 1pm, were designed to target respondents who are at home in the afternoon because they are not working, in school, or work night shifts. The evening calls, starting at about 5pm, were to reach people after they come home from work. It took several attempts to reach most respondents.

Of the 30 respondents who completed the phone survey, exactly half are male and Text Box:
Figure 3 half female. The majority of respondents (60%) are people of color, including 8 Asian-Americans, 6 African-Americans, and 4 respondents who classify themselves as of another race. 40% of respondents are white. This distribution is almost identical with the ethnic backgrounds of all Center visitors that the sample was drawn from: 60% are people of color (including 26% Asian/Pacific Islander, 20% African-American, and 13% Hispanic and Other), and 40% are white. The average age of the respondents is 34 years (this average is almost identical to the average year of all visitors who were hired). The youngest respondent is 15 while the oldest respondent is 68. Almost 60% of all respondents had some college experience or a college degree (the remaining 40% of respondents had some high school experience or a high school degree). Since only 41% of all visitors that the sample was drawn from have some college experience, college-experienced job seekers, are slightly over-represented in the current results. Respondents started the jobs they found out about as a result of their Center visit throughout the year 2000 (Figure 3). The peaks in May, June, and July include respondents who started working in summer jobs (4) and seasonal jobs (2). As Figure 4 in the appendix shows, most respondents (18) live within 10 miles of the airport. An additional 7 respondents live within 20 miles of the airport, and all respondents with a zip code (29) live within a 30-mile radius.

IV. The Results

Job Seekers and the Center

How do job seekers find out about the Airport Jobs Center? As Figure 5 illustrates, the largest number of respondents (10) find out about the Center through friends and relatives (cousin, father, and husband). This finding confirms what respondents mentioned in response to the recommendations question: Word-of-mouth seems to be the main way that job seekers find out about the Center and that they let others know about it. If this is true, then the number of job seekers who utilize the Center’s services is likely to increase in the future as informally shared recommendations about the Center become more widespread.

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Figure 5 The second most common place to find out about the Airport Jobs Center is the airport. Often, job seekers learn about the Center through jobs they have at the airport or someone they know at the airport. The Center’s job fair is the next frequently used way of finding out about the Center’s services. Other ways that respondents found out about the Center was through the Center’s web page or the newspaper. Only one respondent was referred to the Center through an employment agency, and another respondent was referred through the career center of Renton Technical College.

As perhaps expected, the vast majority of job seekers visit the Center because they are looking for work (except for one visitor who was just perusing). Almost three quarters of job seekers were unemployed at the time they visited the Center. While learning about airport careers is a primary objective to some (9 respondents out of 30), other respondents (5) who already work at the airport or whose relatives work at the airport already have some prior knowledge of airport-related jobs when they visit the Center.

What Works

People who were hired at the airport after they visited the Airport Jobs Employment information Center praised the Center’s services and staff. This finding is remarkable given the large numbers of visitors that the small number of Center staff assist. On average, each of the Center’s 3 full-time staff members serve 216 visitors per month, with the assistance of student interns and one part-time staff member. What is surprising is the unanimous enthusiasm that the Center generates across lines of gender, ethnic and language backgrounds, and age. Without exception, all respondents confirmed that they received adequate staff support. They found services and staff very helpful, friendly, and professional, felt like they were getting personal assistance, that staff members had a good intuitive sense of what they were looking for, and that Center staff made them feel comfortable. People’s evaluations of the Center were often quite emotional in the sense that they felt strongly about the Center and were excited about the assistance that staff members provided them with. For instance, one respondent noted that she would like to thank the staff member (Ted) who assisted her.

The main draw of the Center is that it goes beyond offering general information about jobs and provides visitors with a direct linkage to employment at the airport. The three services that respondents used most frequently were the hot list (weekly list of open jobs), job applications, and job descriptions. The least utilized services include the use of onsite equipment for resume/cover letters, information on training and education programs, and the 10-year practice workbook. Two-thirds benefited from an application review for completeness, and 60% of the respondents received help with their applications. Every second respondent obtained an open interview schedule from the Center, and less than half received parking validation, or attended a job fair. Of the respondents who used any of these services, all respondents rated them as either very helpful or helpful (with one exception for average helpfulness of job descriptions). Because many respondents chose one category of helpfulness (either very helpful or helpful) to evaluate all the services they used, averaging these two ratings per service category would be less meaningful than stating that job seekers are either satisfied or very satisfied with the services Airport Jobs offers. Many respondents mentioned that they had such a good experience at the Center that they frequently recommend it to others. Examples that confirm respondents’ enthusiasm about the Center include: “Outstanding center.” “Very helpful center. Very professional. No complaints.” “Center staff is really helpful.” “The Center is very very good. Very helpful.” Very helpful and friendly. The staff showed genuine interest. I went in several times. Staff asked how I was doing after I took the job.” “Excellent staff.” “They were nice and helpful and took me by the hand (as a high school student, I didn't know my way around).” “Everything was good and complete. I liked that the center centralized employers and information so you don't have to go to each company separately for jobs and job interviews.”

Text Box: “ I have no recommendations for improvement. I like that the center consolidates different employers. I am now in Denver, CO and wish they had a similar center there.”

25-year-old male respondent All respondents were either very satisfied (17) or somewhat satisfied (5) with the Center’s location, office hours, and web page access.

What Could Be Improved

Given the positive experience all respondents had with the center, the main complaint is not that the center’s services and staff should be improved but that there should be expanded access to these services. For instance, respondents note that the Center’s opening hours should be expanded to the weekend and its services should be more visible. Not enough people who are looking for jobs know about the Center, the Center would be easier to find if there were more signs, more easily accessible directions to give to friends relatives and acquaintances would be appreciated, and the Center’s range of services could be advertised to more people. Several respondents suggested that seasonal jobs (e.g. on cruise lines or with airlines) be more directly advertised to students and retired persons. Both groups are often interested but not necessarily aware of such employment opportunities.

Many respondents were surprised about the list of services that they were asked to evaluate in question 2A (see appendix) because they did not realize that all these services were available at the Center. One respondent noted that there should be a sign at the Center in several languages (including African languages) that informs visitors about the availability of free parking validations. The importance of word-of-mouth communication in accessing Center services mentioned above reflects the fact that many respondents viewed the Center as an insider’s tip.

A few respondents mentioned that a bigger space for the Center and the job fairs would be nice because they felt crowded. Another recommendation was to open the Center on the weekend to make it easier for job seekers who are currently employed or going to school and cannot visit the Center during the week. Further, two respondents suggested that it would be great if applicants could find out whether jobs they applied for were filled by someone else or whether their application just took long to process. For instance, maybe previously advertised jobs could be marked as filled on the Airport Jobs website when employers selected their candidates. Alternatively, employers or the Center might be able to inform applicants at the time of application about the expected time by which they select an employee.

Three respondents commented that the only improvement they recommend is a broader range of job opportunities. For instance, clerical jobs that fit with a college schedule and full-time (40-hour) jobs were listed as hard to find through the Center. Other respondents could not find job descriptions for certain jobs they were interested in or found the existing descriptions not specific enough.

Although about half of all respondents cannot think of anything that would help them be more successful at their job, the key concern of the remaining respondents is extended job training and technical knowledge in airport-related jobs, including computer classes (e.g., in MS Word and to increase typing speed and accuracy). Several respondents mentioned that they would be more likely to move beyond entry-level positions if they could enroll in training courses where they can acquire skills that are required for higher-level airport jobs.

The Jobs

Survey respondents paint a multi-faceted picture of what airport jobs are like. While some employees explain how the low wages, lack of benefits, high transportation and housing costs, and safety concerns related to night hours create very difficult living conditions for them, others love their airport jobs, would like to stay with them as long as possible, and face employment conditions that are adequate. This section provides an overview of the jobs that respondents go to at the airport and beyond.

Twenty-six out of 30 respondents got job interviews as a result of utilizing the Center’s services. More than three quarters of all respondents (23 out of 30) found jobs as a result of their center visit. Seven respondents did not find jobs as a result of their Center visit. This is because they did not get a job offer, they ended up getting a better job offer based on an application they submitted independently, or because the job they were offered did not turn out to match their interest, or because of personal reasons (e.g., one respondent’s husband started to require full-time home care immediately after the respondent’s first job interview, so she stopped her job search until her husband’s health improves).