By Chris L. Jenkins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 25, 2008
They trickled in through the morning sun, looking for opportunities.
One was an electrician looking for a new job for the first time since he moved to this country seven years ago. Another, a recent immigrant from Korea, was hoping to improve his lot after working a low-wage job for more than a year. A third had just finished looking on behalf of his wife, who lost one of her two jobs this month.
Their destination was a third-floor office on Leesburg Pike in Falls Church, known as the Fairfax County SkillSource Center, a job employment office designed to help people down on their luck find work. The bright, airy office is a division of the Fairfax County Department of Family Services and a gateway to employment job fairs and workshops.
There were 47,000 Northern Virginians out of work in July, about 14,000 more than at the same time last year. Although the regional 3.4 percent unemployment rate is low by national standards -- U.S. unemployment was 5.7 percent in July -- the number of people in the region out of work and looking for jobs is the highest in almost four years.
Therefore, many go to the center or the nearly 10 other employment offices in the region designed to help them. One was electrician Marcelo Gonzalez, who for six years worked in the area for $25 an hour. For several months he hasn't been able to find work with a company because demand for his services has fallen as the housing boom ended.
One morning last week, Gonzalez spoke with job counselor Ximena Rada about available opportunities. Gonzalez, 34, from Bolivia, said he has been supporting himself and his wife through savings.
After a 15-minute conversation and search with Rada, he landed an interview Monday with a company that recently posted an opening.
"It pays a little less than what I made before, but this will be good for me and my family," he said.
Officials said they have had a steady uptick in people seeking help at the four Fairfax County centers. According to records, the four centers averaged 1,962 visits per month from July 2006 through June 2007. From July 2007 through June, the average had increased to nearly 4,000 visits a month.
Most people seeking help have a high school diploma; many others have a two-year college degree or higher education. Job seekers have a variety of occupational backgrounds but are mostly in the service industry, construction or building trades.
Falls Church center officials said they have seen an increase in attendance at their job skill workshops and job fairs.
"We're easily seeing twice the numbers of people in terms of daily traffic," said Dai Nguyen, the center's program director.
Nguyen said that many people are looking for health-care-related fields and that the centers are gearing their services to that expanding industry. "We've tried to shift some of our focus so we could adapt to what people are looking for," he said.
Each major Northern Virginia jurisdiction had an increase in unemployment from July 2007 to this July. Alexandria's rose from 2.2 percent to 3 percent; Arlington County's, from 1.8 percent to 2.7 percent; Fairfax County's, 2.2 percent to 3.2 percent; Loudoun County's, 2.1 percent to 3.3 percent; and Prince William County's, 2 percent to 3.7 percent. Across the region, the rate rose to 3.4 percent from 2.3 percent.
Although the region is insulated from many troubles of the national economy, Northern Virginia suffers from a weak housing market that has driven many of the job losses, economists say. Many at the center are looking for second jobs or a better job than the one they have to withstand the weakening economy.
In addition to aiding job seekers, the center has an office designed to help small businesses increase their profits and help those looking to start their own companies, plus a new youth job center.
In many cases, people at the center are looking for a better job or work that can lead to a career. Chung Hyun Kim, 61, who emigrated from Korea last year, has been working as a custodian for the Fairfax County school system for much of that time.
He started going to the center recently to explore becoming a nurse or medical assistant because he said he wants "more success."
With the region's increasing need for health care workers, center officials said they have developed outreach programs to help train a new generation of workers in medial fields.
Su Kyong Lee, 47, had just finished the certified nursing assistant training she found through the center and is caring for patients. She has been going to the SkillSource Center and wanted to continue her education though the agency and potentially become a nurse.
"This has always been my dream," she said. "They have helped me with my dream."
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