For some, a personal recession began quite some time ago, while others are new to the world of job uncertainty.
Robert Johnson, 66, has struggled with finding stable, long-term employment since 2001.
He was laid off in March when Siemens Energy & Automation Inc. in Urbana closed. He has been out of work since.
After 23 years with a company in Fairborn, Mark Sturgeon was let go from his job five months ago and hasn’t found another one.
Lori Huggins, an interior designer, was laid off from an architectural firm after the company had to make a “tough decision” in the face of the economy, she said.
She hasn’t been able to find a job for almost a year.
Statewide, the unemployment rate hovered around 10.1 percent in September, down from 10.8 percent in August.
The unemployment rate reflects those who are still drawing benefits, said Lehan Peters, WorkPlus Center director.
“This does not include those who 'rolled off’ the system,” Peters said.
State officials reported that 40 percent of the clients served in October had exhausted their unemployment benefits, she said.
In Clark County, the number of people using WorkPlus job training programs has increased 88 percent from September 2008 to September 2009.
Clients like Johnson, Sturgeon and Huggins receive guidance and encouragement from WorkPlus Rise Above program — even when circumstances are bleak.
Huggins said Rise Above program is “energizing” and she doesn’t look at the recovering economy or lack of jobs with bitterness.
Instead, she sees hope.
“I know historically that jobs lag on the rebound,” Huggins said. “And the knowledge that everyone is saying it’s over is good news. And we look for the good. If we don’t see those positives, then we lose hope.”
Clients in Rise Above come from different backgrounds, have varying degrees of education and individual stories.
However, they are united by one fact — they do not have a job.
Rise Above, a two-week (70 hours) program is designed to assist transitions into new jobs, careers or entering the work force for the first time, is luring the unemployed.
The program was recently recognized statewide as an innovative, best practice.
Clients have taken the first step to get involved and now are waiting for the results.
“I needed help,” said Mark Sturgeon, who was let go from his job of 23 years five months ago from a company in Fairborn.
After he lost his job, Sturgeon immediately started applying for jobs online.
“I probably sent out 150 résumés,” said Sturgeon, who has a wife and four kids. “But I had worked the same job for 23 years; until then, I hadn’t even needed a résumé.”
He became involved in the Rise Above program and is counting on his faith to lead him to the right position.
Sturgeon’s story may be familiar even to those who have never met him.
The Work Plus Center has seen an influx of clients. Though the economy is rebounding, the upswing hasn’t yet hit local jobs.
After Mark Bell was laid off in February, he thinks he may have sent out about 500 résumés and job applications.
“The hard part about it was that I only heard back from maybe 3 percent of those,” Bell, 45, recalled.
Although he utilized Job and Family Services of Clark County’s Rise Above program and lauded the efforts of volunteers and staff, Bell couldn’t find anything that would pay like his other job.
“Looking for jobs in Clark County, I would have had to take a 60 (percent) to 70 percent wage cut,” Bell explained.
He found a managerial support position job in Lima, and rather than worry about a two-hour commute, Bell moved there, away from his 12-year-old son.
“The economy may be rebounding, but in some sectors, the wage standards people are used to definitely aren’t there,” Bell said. “That’s going to take years to bring back.”
Bell believes Ohio’s loss of auto manufacturing jobs has contributed to the struggling economy statewide.
Lehan Peters, WorkPlus Center director, said some program participants have left the county, region and state in search of employment,
“Many held management positions or worked in specialized fields,” she said.
‘A great deal of respect’
Workers who suddenly find themselves back in the job market can be facing a scary task.
Kathy Harbaugh, 60, remembers the feeling well.
She retired in 2002 and then took a job with a consulting firm. In 2008, the consulting job ended and Harbaugh found herself unemployed at 58.
“We weren’t going to starve if I didn’t work,” she said. “But it’s more comfortable for us financially if I do work.”
She set out to look for a part-time job, but couldn’t find anything for six months.
“I realized I didn’t have the foggiest idea how to look for a job in the 21st century,” Harbaugh said. “I realized it had been 30 years since I had to look for a job; usually, a job found me.”
She found help in the Rise Above program.
“I kind of felt funny about making use of a social services program,” Harbaugh said. “I’d never done so before.”
But WorkPlus workers and volunteers made her feel at ease.
“At Rise Above, they have a really good way of relating to you no matter what your background and your situation,” she said. “They have a great deal of respect for each individual as a human being.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0374 or boutten@coxohio.com.
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