Job fair a sign of hope: 'Economy getting better when temp agencies start to hire'

From Trading Markets.com | Feb 24, 2010
(The Daily Southerner - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --

For the unemployed and the under-employed in Edgecombe County, a sign of hope was given to about 150 people who attended a job fair Tuesday at Edgecombe Community College.

Kelly Services, a temporary staffingcompany, assisted applicants from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for positions in administrative and clerical work, industrial and warehouse operation, administrative openings and professional and technical work such as manufacturing and test engineers.

Althea Hopkins of the Employment Security Commission said the company makes frequent visits to the ESC office, but with the introduction of more job opportunities, a bigger venue was needed.

"With our unemployment rate being this high, we wanted to capture as many available applicants as possible," she said.

Edgecombe County's unemployment rate in December was 16.7 percent and tied with Caldwell County for the fourth highest rate in the state.

Michael Edwards, 35, of Tarboro, feels he has a better chance of finding work in a bigger town or city.

"Tarboro is a good reason why I haven't found a job. It's not enough opportunities here," he said.

Edwards has been looking for a job for three months after being laid off from Glenoit Fabrics after a year of service.

Despite Edgecombe having such a large number of people out of work, Hopkins said that the job fair indicates a turnaround.

"It's a good indication the economy is getting better when temporary agencies start to hire," she said.

Hopkins said that many employers are skeptical of doing direct hires themselves when the economy hasn't been in the best shape and often wait until things begin to pick up before making hires.

Edwards said that regardless of the method used to hire him, he's just eager to work again.

"I'm looking for anything that's relevant ... I'm looking for something stable," he said.

Job seeker Elizabeth Williams of Tarboro has a part-time position at Regional In-Home Care but wants to transition back into working at a plant or factory.

Williams, 58, left Ansell Edmont in 2002, but said she would like to return to that type of work to get better wages.

She has inquired about positions with companies such as QVC and Sara Lee, but even with her 30 years of experience in factory work, they won't hire her without more education.

"I'm going to school two nights a week to try to get my GED," Williams said.

Justin Hyman, 22, of Tarboro, has run into a different problem when trying to find work.

Hyman's last job was in 2008 with a tree-trimming company but said his search for another job has been halted by discrimination from employers relating to criminal history.

"A lot of them look at your criminal backgrounds, and that's not fair to everyone," Hyman said.

Hopkins said a good way to make a good first impression with businesses is through the temporary staffingagencies.

"It's an excellent way to get your foot in the door with a good company," she said.

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