Transportation jobs are hard to fill. Here’s what works for Oregon’s DOT.

With an estimated 78,000 commercial driving jobs going unfilled last year, it’s no surprise the Oregon Department of Transportation struggles to find drivers for snowplows.

Not many people are trained to be snowplow drivers or even consider it as a career, said Sally Ridenour, chief content strategist at ODOT, at a June 6 webinar led by government technology company Granicus.

“We teach people how to drive the plows, and once people learn that that's actually a job, we have a lot of people apply for it,” she said. “Raising awareness about the different types of jobs available in transportation is a challenge.”

Competition for employees is fierce, with transportation agencies and private-sector employers vying for candidates, Ridenour said.

Ridenour advised agencies to have a communication strategy for recruitment. ODOT uses job recruiting events, social media such as LinkedIn, and government communications platforms. To shape their messaging, agencies should ask current employees why they like working there and focus on those aspects while targeting potential candidates, she said.

ODOT also makes recruiting messages part of its regular communications, including in its more than 250 email newsletters. For example, the agency sends construction-related jobs to people subscribed to construction content.

It is particularly difficult to recruit surveyors, Ridenour said. To find people for these roles, ODOT connected with associations and college programs in related industries and professions, encouraging individuals there to sign up for certain email topics. Then the agency sent the potential candidates specialized messages about open positions and the benefits of working at ODOT.

Email subscriptions doubled after that outreach, Ridenour said, and the number of job applicants increased as a result.

Recruiting is “going to continue to be very competitive,” Ridenour said. “Talking to your audience, talking to people who've come into your agency, talking to people who you want to come into your agency and finding out what appeals to them is really helpful.