A job. For nearly 2,000 Jessamine Countians, it’s the item on the top of their Christmas wish lists. But getting one isn’t nearly as easy as writing a letter to Santa, or camping out in the wee hours of the morning in front of a department store on Black Friday. Times are still tough, and there just don’t seem to be enough jobs for everyone.
The national unemployment rate hovered around 9 percent for the month of October, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Labor. Kentucky’s rate is higher than the national average at 9.6 percent, and Jessamine County has an unemployment rate of 8.2 percent, according to statistics from the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.
Those percentages are dropping, as earlier this year unemployment rates reached the double digits for the state of Kentucky. But tell that to the 1,917 Jessamine County residents who were unemployed in the month of September, and they will probably tell you the improvements aren’t coming fast enough.
Jessamine County has seen the loss of more than 150 manufacturing jobs in 2011 with the nearly 100-person layoff from Trim Masters in July and the upcoming closing of Adcom Wire Co. The closing of Adcom will leave 68 employees without jobs less than a week before Christmas.
The need for education
One of the hurdles many people face when applying for jobs is the increasing demand for higher levels of education. According to data from Kentucky Adult Education, 21 percent of Jessamine Countians ages 18 and older were without a GED or high school diploma in 2000.
Many of those with lower education levels have decided to go back to school in an effort to find a job. In 2010-2011, 10,294 Kentuckians earned a GED.
Janice Crane, director of Jessamine County’s Adult Education and Family Literacy Program, said the center continues to see high levels of enrollment in many of its programs because it’s nearly impossible to get hired without at least a GED.
The adult-education center also offers job-readiness programs such as the National Career Readiness Certificate, which is a test students at the center can take to demonstrate their competency level of basic communication skills and on-the-job reading and math, among other skills.
But Crane also tells her students that just earning a GED is not going to be enough for very long. And the $60 cost of the GED is also expected to double in price by 2013.
“It used to be that a GED was sufficient, but now, we really look at the GED as being the first step toward what they need to really work toward employment or a career, and that’s some form of postsecondary education,” Crane said.
The Kentucky Office of Employment and Training estimates that by 2018, some form of postsecondary education will be required for 48 percent of jobs in Kentucky.
“It’s just so competitive out there. There aren’t that many jobs ... and so many people are applying for them,” Crane said. “And they’re competing against the older people who can’t retire and give up jobs, so they’re making it more difficult for some of the younger people to qualify. You just need higher skills.”
Technology: blessing or barrier?
Finding a job has moved past the days of just combing a classifieds section, pounding the pavement, mailing cover letters and paper applications. Nearly all components of the job search have moved to a computer-based process. This can simplify the process for some, but for others turns the job search into a labyrinth of new technology they aren’t trained to use and can’t afford to own.
“There’s a learning curve for people who didn't grow up with technology, and they’re not as comfortable with e-mails, online applications, downloading, uploading,” Crane said. “There are not many jobs nowadays where you actually have to send a letter in, most of them are online.”
But there are several places in Jessamine County residents can go to use computers and receive help in navigating job search sites. The adult-education center has career advisers who work with participants to format resumés and search for jobs.
The Jessamine County Public Library received funding to support a “workforce center” in July. It was one of 45 counties to receive funding to house more computers, software, teaching tools and media projects to accommodate workshop training.
“Our local public libraries have become an important community access point for people to search for jobs, write resumés and learn computer skills,” Gov. Steve Beshear said when the program first launched in July. “These centers will provide a direct link to help for people in areas with high unemployment areas.”
The Kentucky Office of Employment and Training also launched a new job-match system in October that anyone can access online at no cost, according to a news release from the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.
Users create a profile and develop a professionally formatted resumé designed to highlight transferable skills from life experiences and work history to help job-seekers narrow down the jobs they’re best suited for.
