Burlington, Vermont - October 24, 2011
Vermont is tied for the fifth lowest unemployment rate in the country, but for the one in 20 workers still looking for a job, that ranking can feel deceiving.
Tiffany Chadwick is one of the 5.8-percent of Vermonters out of work. She spends her days at the Department of Labor's Career Resource Center in Burlington using the free tools to help her land a job."I actually just came back from an interview at MAC makeup. I'm feeling really good about it so I'm hoping that something will work out," she said.
But not everyone shares her optimism. "From a scale from one to 10, I'd probably say about a 7.5. It's very difficult to get employment," said Crystal Newsome, another job seeker.
The Department of Labor says Vermont's unemployment rate improved by one-tenth of a percent in September -- not a statistically significant jump, but a step in the right direction.
"Looking back to last year's levels we're still tracking a little bit better, still not where we were pre-recession," said the department's Mathew Barewicz.
The stats means roughly one in 20 Vermont workers are unemployed, but when you add in the underemployed or part-time workers who are seeking full-time employment, and discouraged workers -- people who have given up looking -- that ratio is closer to one in 10 Vermonters who are struggling economically.
"When we have an elevated unemployment rate, 5.8-percent, then including the discouraged workers, it takes it closer to 11-percent and so that's certainly a much darker picture of the economic forecast," Barewicz said.
In this economic climate the competition can be tough. Vermont HITEC, a South Burlington healthcare technology company, is looking to hire 30 people. Turns out recruiters had to bring in a few more chairs in preparation for Tuesday night's info session. Nearly 700 applicants want those jobs.
David Comstock is one of the 696 hopefuls. He worked in Communications and IT while serving in the army. But when he returned home he couldn't find a job that matched his skill set so he took a sales job with Staples. "And had to go back to a simple retail job, which it's great to have a job but I'm really not using the experiences and knowledge developed in the army," he said.
Recruiters say nearly half of the applicants for the AllScripts positions are currently unemployed and the odds are stacked against the applicants. "They freak out a little bit when they see, oh my goodness there are several hundred other people applying for this same job that I want," said Julie Hegle with Vermont HITEC.
Even though 96-percent of the job seekers will get turned down, Comstock isn't intimated by the odds. "Because I know I can perform and I'm personally motivated and I have nothing to lose," he said.
For those seeking employment help, the Department of Labor does offer free resources at a dozen career centers scattered across the state.
