Area Unemployment Trends Higher

Opportunities for workers do exist, even as the local job market tightens

Gilmer - Recent large upswings in the national unemployment rate haven't been reflected in the Texas economy yet, but our statewide jobless rate is on the rise.
Nationwide, the U.S. unemployment rate is 6.5%, and Texas lags that somewhat, ticking upward in September to 5.1%. Some of that increase is due the the impact of Hurricane Ike, with the remaining job losses attributed to a slowing national and state economy.

Locally, we are in slightly better shape, according to Stephen Lynch with Texas Workforce Solutions (TWS)in Tyler.

He says that the Longview area jobless rate rose .06% last month, up to 4.8%.
While we are below the national average, there are some displaced workers in the area who may be wondering what to do next and TWS may have some answers for them.

Besides the obvious step of filing for unemployment through the state, job seekers can also take advantage of free career counseling, job search assistance and some surprising training programs offered by Texas Workforce Solutions.

Under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), a program created by Congress in 1998, federally funded training is available for adults, dislocated workers and youth.

WIA funds are channeled from Washington to Texas. The state is then responsible to run the program and does that through the Texas Workforce Commision. In east Texas, the Workforce Commision relies on the East Texas Council of Government (ETCOG) to administer the effort.

Texas Workforce Solutions, a private firm, is contracted by ETCOG to administer the program in our area, and they have found success here in a hungry market.

Karitha Hayley, a career coach at the TWS office in Gilmer, reviewed some of the worker training they offer with the Advocate today. She says most of the effort is aimed at educating and moving workers who've lost blue collar jobs into white collar roles.

Hayley is proud of the services TWS offers, and seems to genuinely enjoy her role, saying:

"it's exciting, and I enjoy the rapport"

Hayley has about 30 workers currently in training, and points to several she recently assisted who have been placed into government jobs, now working at OSHA.

While the main thrust is to reclaim displaced workers, she says opportunities also exist for new workers just entering the job market, and older workers who may have been off the job roles for a while.

Hayley also highlighted assistance the program provides, through career counseling, with obtaining student loans for associate degree studies.

The training takes place at various locations in the area, including Panola College, Kilgore College and Tyler Junior College.

Hayley cautions that all job seekers might not be eligible, saying the training offered is driven by local job market demands, and based on aptitude and criteria developed by the state. Selection is also based on minimum educational levels, but TWS is also involved with helping applicants get remedial reading education and achieving GED's.

The TWS office in Gilmer opened in June of last year, and Hayley says they have reached their placement goals every month since then. In fact, her office ranks 2nd out of twenty-four TWS offices across east Texas.

She attributes their success to the automated job listings which are statewide, and the easy access job seekers and employers enjoy through the internet.

She is slightly frustrated, however, by the number of local employers, government agencies and ISD's that don't use the service, stating:

"I would love to see more local employers take advantage of our high performance, free service."

She notes that employers can offer the posting and set criteria for the applicants that TWC sends. The listing then goes out statewide, capturing applicants that may be trying to relocate to east Texas, as well as qualified local job hunters.

Employers and job seekers can contact Texas Workforce Solutions by phone at 903-680-3655, online at http://www.easttexasworkforce.org/index.php, or in person at 405 East Marshall Street in Gilmer.

Contact information for other TWS offices across the region can be found here.