Toughest job is finding one

The pain just keeps on throbbing.

With the nation's unemployment rate last month skyrocketing to 7.2 percent, coupled with a record number of new unemployment claims made in Washington state during the same time frame, the job news is exceedingly bleak.

Locally, Yakima County's unemployment numbers for December have yet to be released, but there's no reason to believe there will be any diamonds in the rough.

"We anticipate it could be as high as 9 percent," says Don Meseck, regional economist with the state Employment Security Department.

And, yet, it could be worse.

Back in November 1992, the county's unemployment rate was a grim 15.3 percent, the highest on record.

So the county's 7.7 percent unemployment rate in November 2008, while worse than national trends, looks almost rosy for the area.

But try telling that to Rosie Lynda Espinoza and JoseAngel Sepulveda.

They know all too well how it feels to be laid off, to wonder how they'll pay for the next gallon of gasoline to continue the grinding hunt for another job.

"It makes you feel rejected," says Espinoza. "You think, 'What's wrong with me?'"

At 44, she's cut asparagus, picked apples, been a warehouse worker, medical transcriptionist and performed data entry.

And she's been down-sized.

Likewise, Sepulveda has experienced the double whammy of having his job swept away -- the mill closed -- and then having to settle for one offering far below the wage he'd been earning.

Being unemployed, though, may well become distant memories for Espinoza and Sepulveda because they sought retraining programs to learn new skills.

Both enrolled at Perry Technical Institute, and they're not alone. The school's enrollment of 529 is the highest in its 68-year existence.

"When the economy is bad, typically technical schools and community colleges see a rise in enrollment because people seek retraining or realize they need more skills to get jobs," explained Perry spokesperson Leanne LaBissoniere.

However, some of the growth can be attributed to several new programs the school recently began offering, LaBissoniere added.

Students receiving federal or state funds for retraining comprise about 10 percent of the current enrollment.

Some may be coming in from three major occupational areas. According to Meseck, most people affected by job losses locally are from the manufacturing, construction and transportation sectors.

At the same time, the unemployment rate is rising here, while the number of non-agriculture-related jobs is falling.

In Yakima County, 7,850 residents were out of work in November 2007, which is bad enough. But by November 2008, that number was 9,220.

"That's significant," notes Meseck.

Additionally, he predicts that 2008 is going to look bad because overall the preceding year was very good. The average annual unemployment rate in 2007 -- 6.3 percent -- was the lowest in history, he points out.

To someone unemployed, numbers don't really matter. It's the reality of what he or she faces every day.

Espinoza said she saw the writing on the wall when the jobs she filled were increasingly being replaced by technology.

But when those jobs dis-appeared, and she'd apply for a new one somewhere else, she realized that her age was working against her.

A final blow came when her husband was diagnosed with gastric cancer in 2000 and had to leave his construction job.

Not only was life batter-ing her, but technology was leaving her behind.

And that what's propelled Espinoza into seeking new skills. Combining grants, scholarships and loans, she enrolled in the Information Technology Communication Systems program at Perry 18 months ago.

"Coming to school gives me hope, and I'm not deviating from my goal. And what I'm leaving for my kids is hope and education," she says.

Next, Espinoza, who is bilingual, is looking for a three-month internship before graduating in June.

Sepulveda is also graduating in June, from the Instrumentation program. After working at Boise Cascade for six years, he was laid off when the plant was resold to Yakima Resources, then shuttered.

"When a plant closes, it's rough for anyone; you go from what feels comfortable to doing something brand new," he explains.

Sepulveda took a job in construction but had to grapple with lower pay and less security and benefits.

"When you go from a good job and pay to minimum wage, it's a juggling act," the 32-year-old recalls, noting that making house payments became a struggle, going to the dentist was out of the question and attending movies became a once-in-awhile luxury.

But he had an ace to play, which was federal monetary help for retraining because of the Yakima Resources closure. He became intrigued by working with automated systems in plants and signed up at Perry.

"I consider myself lucky in a sense," Sepulveda says. Not only did he have money to attend school but "future-wise, it will be better than living from job to job. If you have a good background or skill, there's not as much worry."

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