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November 17, 2007
PALM COAST - Betsy Prussman hears the out-of-work woes every time she sits at one of the One-Stop Career Center's computers.
"Each time I'm sitting there, it's one more person and another story of being unemployed," Prussman said Friday at the center.
Prussman, 48, has been looking for the past two weeks for a management job in the tile business. She and her co-workers were laid off three weeks ago.
They are among the latest casualties as the housing slump continues to plague the area. Flagler's jobless rate rose to 5.8 percent in October, according to figures released Friday by the state Agency for Workforce Innovation.
Volusia County's unemployment rate remained at 4.3 percent in October, where it has been stuck since July.
"Manufacturing, retail trade, financial activities and professional and business services are down related to construction, as well," said Sharon Warriner of the Workforce Development Board Center for Business Development in Daytona Beach. "Home Depot, Lowe's, Bealls and Wal-Mart have all reduced staff over the last year."
Dixon and Susana Torres, of Palm Coast, were among the job hunters visiting the One-Stop Center on Friday. Susana Torres, 34, said she has been applying for hotel housekeeping jobs for three or four months but hasn't had any luck, despite her 10 years of experience working at a Sheraton in Newark, N.J. "It's very difficult to find a job," she said.
Dixon Torres, 33, said he is a mason but work is slow now, only two or three days a week. So, he is looking for a second job, something part time at night. "There's not much work right now," he said.
University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith said, "Volusia and Flagler counties are in the midst of a significant housing slowdown and that's driving the upward drift in unemployment rates."
Volusia County's job growth has slowed, according to the state. From October 2005 to October 2006, 5,700 new jobs were created. This year, 600 new jobs were created since last October.
"It is cause for some concern," said Snaith. "It is not shocking, negative news and could be anticipated in the midst of this slowdown. But that is pretty paltry job growth."
Snaith said the area is not out of the woods yet. "Unfortunately, we are looking at several more quarters of difficult times in the housing sector," he said.
Ira Corliss, Palm Coast economic development coordinator, agreed. "I think this is going to continue until the economy changes to where more construction-oriented jobs are going to be available because of the relationship of all the industries to that, from groceries to schools to cars to gas and clothing," he said.
Corliss said while there has been an increase in commercial development in the city and county, it needs to bring more jobs.
Staff Writer Aaron London contributed to this report.
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