The ASA Skills Gap Index identified 167 hard-to-fill occupations in the U.S. for the 12 months ended December 2014.

“The ASA Skills Gap Index identifies areas of focus for use in the development of strategies to address the skills shortage in America,” said Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer. “These data are an important resource for staffing firms as they partner with clients to source qualified talent and implement effective workforce solutions strategies.”

The skills gap index was established by ASA using a hiring indicator developed by ASA corporate partner CareerBuilder. It measures the level of difficulty (on a scale of one to 100) to recruit for a specific occupation based on demand, supply of active candidates, and total population working in it.

Members can download the full ASA Skills Gap Index report for the fourth quarter of 2014 at americanstaffing.net.