John PotterChannel 2 News
With an unemployment rate of 11.8%, 25,303 people in Reno-Sparks are still actively seeking a job. So when places like Aces Ballpark are hiring for the upcoming season, people turn out in droves. That's what we found on a cold Monday morning.
On Evans Avenue, the line reached for more than a block. Near the front, Leo Carew waited for over an hour for a part-time, temporary job that will pay $8.25 an hour. He was hoping to nab one of the 180 positions available. "It's hard to say. There are so many people out there that are qualified and unemployed. It's, you know, pick of the litter so to speak."
He's been through this before. So has Teresa Greene. She can do whatever you need. "Anything. You have to these days. You know, work is work." After two years of interviews and internet sites and handing out résumés, she says the long lines are everywhere.
Troy Abeyta sees it too. "I've gone to some other job fairs, and you know, you've got 20 positions and 200 people show up." He's heard the economy is improving, but he hasn't seen it himself. "I hardly get past the interview stage."
Reno did not get double-digit unemployment overnight. Recovery looks to be slow. The housing bust still has many in the construction industry out of work, and a lot of companies are taking a wait-and-see approach until the economy really picks up. As jobseeker Paula Rohrke told us, "It has become very much an employer's market to where they can really pick and choose."
Paula would know. She's been unemployed for more than three years. Every day now is spent in front of her computer, knocking on doors and making countless phone calls. "Mornings between 8:00 and 9:00 I'm on the phone, to where they know my voice now."
She says if it weren't for unemployment benefits and the occasional temp job, she'd be homeless. These days, she says she is "Struggling, but I keep up the battle. I'm very frustrated, and yeah I do fight depression. People got to realize, there are those of us fighting. I mean, you name the website, I'm on it. You name the employment agency, I'm registered."
The Reno-Sparks unemployment rate at one time hovered around 15%, but recently it has been edging down, falling to 11.8% as of last December. But experience says the real number is closer to twice that. If you add the uncounted "under-employed," the part timers who hustle for a shift or two of work a week and those who gave up looking, the picture is darker.
If you're looking for work, there's an easy way to find the latest job openings. Just go to our homepage and click the "Job of the Day" logo for a list from Nevada Job Connect.
