POULSBO — The Kitsap County unemployment rate rose to 5.8 percent in November, up .3 percent from October, according to the Washington State Employment Security Department. The department’s report, released Dec. 16, also estimated 222,551 people were unemployed and seeking work in Washington last month.
Washington’s unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted, rose to 6.4 percent in November, up from October’s rate of 6.3 percent, according to the ESD.
“Just as we saw with the 2002 recession, Washington’s economy held up longer than most of the nation, but we’re quickly catching up now,” said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee.
With an increase in the area of those needing jobs, Poulsbo’s Sound Works Job Center Executive Director Bob Middlebrook said he’s seen increasing trends as well, including a 10-15 percent rise in clientele and an escalation in clients above the poverty line, some of whom “haven’t written a resumé in years.”
Also on the incline is the age of those searching, partially because of money lost in the stock market.
“We’re seeing the age go up,” said Middlebrook. “A lot of older people in their 60s and even up to their 70s are looking for work.”
And the county’s unemployment rate could be even higher than reported. Middlebrook said the changing demographics of the jobless could mean many more are currently in need of employment.
Middlebrook said construction and landscaping jobs have left large voids for low-income earners. The ESD reported the largest job declines statewide were seen in residential specialty-trade construction, which lost 3,300 jobs; clothing and accessory stores, losing 1,800 jobs; administrative and support services, down 1,600; and general merchandise stores, down 1,200.
At Sound Works, a non-profit center estab lished in 1988, people can gain access to what Middlebrook calls the “hidden job market,” jobs not posted in newspapers. In fact, only 7 percent of open positions are listed in news publications.
“The first thing most people do is they look at a paper and get really discouraged because there’s no jobs,” Middlebrook said. “If you look in the paper, there’s maybe two or three jobs. Most of the employers anymore don’t list in the paper as much as on their own Web sites or maybe on Worksource.”
Sound Works helps to prepare clients for employment by offering interview training, help with resumes and cover letters and even proper attire. Since 1994 the organization has filled nearly 4,000 jobs and served nearly 33,000 people.
Middlebrook said expanding a job search scope can also help provide more opportunities, as can looking into retraining options. At any given time, he runs off a database of 500-1,000 Kitsap County jobs, and said his goals for his clients are three-tiered: first get them a job, then a good job, then, finally, a career.
“A lot of people just don’t know where to look for the jobs,” Middlebrook said. “I can help show them how to look, where to look and where to apply.”
Along with the rest of the nation, Sound Works is suffering, as federal funding has been reallocated from its coffers.
Still, the services are free, and full of valuable information.
“It’s a real good deal for no money,” Middlebrook said. “We don’t charge a penny.”
To find out more, visit the Sound Works Job Center at 19131 8th Avenue in Poulsbo, call (360) 779-1160 or visit http://homepages.donobi.net/soundworks/.
Job seekers can also get help looking for work at the ESD’s affiliated WorkSource offices. More than 17,000 current job openings are posted on www.go2worksource.com. Locations of local WorkSource offices are also listed in the blue pages of telephone books and online at www.go2worksource.com. Assistance also is available by phone at (877) 872-5627.
