The Face of Unemployment

By Zamná Ávila, Assistant Editor

If you’re one of the millions that's been without a job for an extended amount of time, then you’re probably familiar with the daily job hunt routine:

Update, then tweak the resume and cover letter; search all the major job post listings and job fairs, fill endless applications online or on hard copy and drive to as many opportunities you can find, including job fairs. These days are especially hard.

“They don’t hire you or interview on the spot,” said San Pedro resident Marjorie Harnage, who was attending a, Sept. 27, career fair at the Holiday Inn Long Beach Airport Hotel. “(At) career fairs you network, but basically they don’t hire you then. They don’t interview you then. They [just] tell you to apply online. So, I keep going to them in hopes that one time I can get an interview with someone but it’s the same thing.”

If the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is any indication, people like Harnage is becoming more common.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the current unemployment rate in California is about 12 percent — about 2 percentage points higher than the national average, which stands at 9.1 percent. Los Angeles County had 12.7 percent unemployment, while Harbor Area cities had the following unemployment rates: Lomita, 9.2 percent; Long Beach, 13.9 percent; Palos Verdes Estates, 2.9 percent; Rolling Hills, 2.2 percent; Rolling Hills, 3.8 percent; and Carson 12.8 percent. Statistics do not include those working part-time who want full-time work, or those who have given up on job hunting. Figures are published mid-month for the preceding month at www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov.

About a year-and-a-half ago, Harnage and her husband, who is in the U.S. Air Force, relocated back to their hometown in Los Angeles from Baltimore. Until this past May she’d been working part time for an entertainment company. Though she has the support of her husband, pulling her own weight, financially, is important, she said.

Yet, Harnage is ambivalent about the effectiveness of career fairs.

Moreover, many recruiters at job fairs aren't offering full-time positions. The almost dozen-and-a-half recruiting stations at this job fair included schools, job opportunities that require self-financed licensing and unpaid training, such as Farmer’s Insurance, staffing agencies, commission-based jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities that require an investment such Mary Kay, The Pampered Chef and Xango.

But Trish Perry a recruiter for uniform distributor, AmeriPride, said that there still are more stable jobs out there. Perry, who was at the fair recruiting drivers, said that about 50 to 100 people stopped at her booth. Of those they probably have about 10 to 15 qualified candidates and about four or five of those will be called for interviews. The company initially pays its drivers a base wage and, as drivers acquire more clients and more routes, they go on to be paid on commission.

“We always have job openings,” Perry said. “We just need to find the right people for the right position.”

Harnage, who is hoping for a 9 to 5 office job, said she is lucky given the economic realities.

Teresa, whose last name is withheld to protect her job search, is not as lucky. She is a recovering alcoholic, who three months ago, lost her job as a driver, assisting sober-living clients make their appointments.

“I lost my job over relapsing, so that’s why it’s so tough to get back in out of 12 years (of being sober),” Teresa said. “When I’m looking for another job, I just don’t bring it up.”

Teresa said she’s been having a hard time paying rent and she recently began to receive Los Angeles County’s General Relief Program, which provides assistance to indigent adults who are ineligible for federal or state funds.

“I’m scared of being in the streets,” Teresa said. “I’m almost kicked out of my house if I don’t come up with rent … and I don’t want to be homeless and I’m like real close to being homeless.”

The 49-year-old said she has been applying online and attending many job fairs in hope of getting back to work. And, though she often becomes frustrated with the lack of job offers, her faith in God and the 12-step program has helped her to not give up. Teresa said she’s got a good response from job fairs.

“I’ve got more calls here at the job fairs than anywhere else,” Teresa said. “It’s a lot better than just looking in the paper.”

One of the biggest challenges job seekers face is maintaining a positive attitude. “Optimism is key,” said 23-year-old Alex Pozar, who just completed a trade certification for facilities maintenance from the Long Beach Job Corp. and is considering his job options. Though he might have to do something different, sooner or later, he will be doing what he enjoys doing. He listens to reports about the slow economy and worries, “but you just have to be optimistic. “I mean, every hotel needs maintenance.”