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Athens County Residents Seek Employment At Local Job Fair
By: Graylyn Roose
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Like many Athens County residents, Steven Secoy is looking for a job.
The 20-year old father of two says he's been out of work for about eight months.
"Unless you know somebody or something like that, it's hard to get a job. Let alone a career," said Secoy.
Like hundreds of others, he came to the Athens County job fair at the Athens Community Center Wednesday to look for a new opportunity. More than 70 employers attended the fair.
"I came here last year, like I was saying, and I did really well. I got a job, but I didn't find out until later that it was a temporary job," he said.
Secoy isn't alone. Unemployment is a problem in the county, and it isn't getting much better. Almost nine percent of Athens County residents are currently unemployed.
"I've had eight interviews but none of the interviews have come through," said Athens County resident Sharon Saylor. "There's a lot of competition out there for jobs and stuff. But I'm just like everyone else out there who's had a layoff. This is the worst economic times we've ever been through."
Joe McGown, director of the Athens County Work Station in The Plains, said many available jobs are hard to depend on.
"People are finding jobs. They're just sometimes not very good living wage jobs. Unless they have some kind of training and a certificate or a degree, they're going to find sometimes jobs that don't pay as well," he said.
The work station provides funding that allows residents to go back to school and gives them the resources to start a new career.
Athens County residents who are seeking a job are encouraged to come to the Job and Family Services Work Station in The Plains, where they can get computer access and information about job listings in the area.
The Work Stations in Athens, Meigs and Perry counties joined together to host today's job fair.
"One of our major priorities is trying to find jobs for our residents, and so this helps the local businesses find employees and conversely helps people who need a job find one or even get a better job," said Larry Payne, Athens County commissioner.
The Work Station said that the healthcare and oil and gas industries seem to currently have the most opportunities for new hires.