Finding new work requires flexibility and creativity

The growing unemployment rate is more than a statistic for Simi Valley resident Edwin Benedetto.

Benedetto lost his job as a parts supervisor at a BMW auto dealership in Glendale more than six months ago and quickly discovered the challenge of getting back into the work force.

"It's tough competition out there," said Benedetto, 35, who constantly found dealers who wanted to hire younger, less experienced employees willing to work for less.

As a married father of two, Benedetto couldn't afford to take a significantly lower wage.

With the help of the Simi Valley Job Center, the setback turned into a new career opportunity.

Tough times

Benedetto said he was laid off after 12 years of employment in the car retail industry because the economic downturn forced his company to downsize.

He first tried to find work in his field, applying at other dealerships and in retail stores that sell auto parts. When that didn't get him hired, Benedetto used the Internet, searching through jobs on Craig's List and posting his resume on Careerbuilders.com and USAjobs.com, but without success.

According to the California Employment Development Department, 7.1 percent of Ventura County workers were unemployed in August 2008, up from 5.4 at the same time last year.

This data is unadjusted for seasonality and does not take into account people working in education, construction and agriculture who may be unemployed for brief periods every year, said Olga Hernandez, a labor market consultant for the EDD.

About 1,100 Ventura County jobs were lost in the chemical manufacturing industry since August last year, equaling a 12 percent decline. Construction was also hit hard with a 12 percent loss. Professional, business service and finance jobs experienced a smaller loss of about 4 percent over last year.

More than 6 percent of Moorpark residents are unemployed and almost 6 percent were without work in Simi Valley.

Back on his feet

After exhausting his other options, Benedetto decided to take advantage of programs offered at Ventura County Job & Career Center in Simi Valley to learn a new trade. The Simi location is one of eight in the county where job seekers can get help to find work, create an employment action plan, and access training and education information.

"The career center helped me a lot," Benedetto said.

Inspired by his wife and several other relatives who work in nursing, Benedetto decided to switch careers. He's now enrolled in Simi Valley Adult School's certified nursing assistant program.

Demand for health industry jobs is growing because the baby boom generation is aging. Benedetto said he's almost sure to get work once he completes his studies early next year.

"I look forward to starting a new career," he said.

The job program, offered through the Ventura County Workforce Investment Board, also enabled Benedetto to get an extension on his unemployment benefits, which would otherwise have expired by now.

The investment board offers free resources to employers as well as job seekers with the help of federal funds and partnerships with private and public sector providers.

The Outstanding Professionals Employment Network, sponsored by the California EDD, also assists local job seekers.

The network of executive and technical professionals helps its members find their next career opportunity through outplacement training, networking and direct business contact. Services are free to both employers and employees.

Jobs leaving county

Resources provided by the job center and the EDD are helpful to some people, but finding new work is not going to get easier for most Ventura County residents, at least not soon, according to County Supervisor Peter Foy.

Foy said that outside of the healthcare and applied technology fields, jobs are difficult to find because most local companies are either downsizing or relocating to reduce operating costs.

"This is a big problem. I believe it's very difficult for any company to do business in California," he said.

Many businesses start up in Ventura County but cannot grow and prosper here because the tax burden is too high, he said, so many of them seek relief where the environment isn't so regulated.

"The impacts on the local work force are terrible," Foy said. The growing unemployment rate makes it more difficult for retail businesses and restaurants to succeed, and thus has a ripple effect on the local economy, he said.

For more information about employment services and locations, visit www.wib.ventura.org. More information about OPEN is available at www.eu-open.org.