PORTLAND — Oregon’s schools and colleges might consider offering more training in soft skills, exposing young people to potential career paths earlier and bumping up the number of nurses and dental assistants they train, according to a new report on Oregon’s workforce.

Portland consulting firm ECONorthwest surveyed and interviewed hundreds of employers around the state for the 2022 Oregon Talent Assessment, released by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission and state Workforce and Talent Development Board this week. The report highlights what business and industry leaders say they need and the ways that Future Ready Oregon, a $200 million government initiative to upgrade the state’s workforce, could help fill those gaps.

The pandemic created the “greatest disruption to the workforce since World War II,” the report says, and while recovery varies sector to sector, statewide employment levels have not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

More than 80% of employers surveyed say they struggle to find applicants with qualifications to fill their positions.

Employers are generally happy with the level of education and the basic skills that Oregon workers bring to the table, the report says. But they find workers lacking in specific occupational skills related to their career fields, in advanced skills like critical thinking and problem-solving, and soft skills like leadership and teamwork, employers report.

“From middle school through college, more education centered around projects and teams would deliver applicants better prepared for work,” the report says.

The pandemic also reduced access to hands-on learning in fields like career and technical education, employers say, which has slowed employers’ ability to hire employees and get them up to speed. Healthcare trainees didn’t always have access to real-world clinical settings during the pandemic, for example, the report says.