Oct 7, 2008 9:16 pm US/Eastern
Economic Woes Take Hit To Mass. Unemployment Rate
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
The economic downturn is taking its toll on unemployed residents in Massachusetts.
The state's 37 one-stop
career centers are seeing a sharp rise in the number of people seeking help finding a job, signing up for career workshops to learn new skills, and seeking one-on-one career counseling.
The number of people seeking unemployment benefits for the first time is also on the rise. In August of 2007, 16,424 people filed jobless claims, compared to 19,200 in August of 2008.
"Since March the economy in Massachusetts has been slowing down," secretary of labor Suzanne Bump tells WBZ-TV. "It is a steady increase and we need to develop contingency plans to hire more workers to take those claims".
James Patterson, recently laid off from a publishing job, has been coming to The Work Place at least two hours a day searching the database for jobs.
"Everything happened so quickly it stunned me," he said. "I'm looking at job boards, applying on-line, getting one or two resumes out a day."
Career counselor Troy Heggie says their services are rapidly changing as they offer more workshops on resume writing and interviewing skills to help people with their immediate needs.
The demand is so great it can take up to a month for an appointment with a career counselor.
On the bright side, Massachusetts' unemployment rate of 5.3 percent is still below the national average of 6.1 percent.
Careers in healthcare, education and technology continue to see some growth. But they're bracing for longer lines and more people needing help.
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