Published: May 10, 2008 06:05 pm            

Jobs data again good for county

Unemployment rate declines ahead of Tuesday’s job fair

By Raymond Billy

rbilly@jacksonvilleprogress.com

The latest unemployment numbers released by the Texas Workforce Commission yielded more positive results for Cherokee County.

The County’s unemployment rate, which rose to 5.4 percent in January, dipped to 4.7 percent in March — the fourth lowest rate in eight years. The seven-point drop in jobless claims is even more significant because the county’s labor force — residents 14-years-old or older who are either working or looking for work — increased during that span. The drop in the rate from January to February might have merely been the result of the 300-plus person decline in people looking for work who would be excluded from statistics.

County officials are pleased with those numbers, which will help mitigate the impact of April’s closure of Alliance Data Systems in Jacksonville, a company that furnished the area with 230 jobs. While unemployment figures for April won’t be known for several weeks, the impact of Alliance Data’s departure might be gauged by a drop in this month’s sale's tax allocation. But city officials say a deal might soon be finalized to bring a company to Jacksonville interested in operating out of the call center once occupied by Alliance Data (see story below).

But, even if that deal is not ratified, there are plenty of jobs to be had in the county, officials from the Jacksonville Economic Development Corporation say. Appropriately, JEDCO, in partnership with Workforce Solutions East Texas, has organized the Jacksonville Job & Career Fair fair set for Tuesday from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. in the Norman Activity Center.

Mandy Johnston, economic development assistant for JEDCO, said individuals seeking employment have a good chance of finding suitors at the fair.

“I believe anyone who is looking for work right now will be able to find it either at the fair or soon after because there are a lot of firms in the city that are not operating at full capacity due to a lack of workers,” Johnston said.

The fair is normally held in the fall, but was moved to an earlier date to help Alliance Data workers find new employment, Johnston said.

Vocational organizations will also be on hand for those interested in improving there skills or changing fields. Twenty-five companies and vocational organizations will be present at the fair.

        

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