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Business & Tech

Underemployed Workers Struggle as Job Growth Lags

With national numbers showing only 54,000 new jobs created in May, locals react to the lagging employment situation on the eve of a major local job fair.

Ephriam Campbell, 30, has been hunting for a new job for about a month now and has come to the conclusion that you have to know someone to even get an interview.

The St. Charles resident was let go of his job in retail in March. About a month ago he found work with a temp service, but that work wasn't consistent.

The job with the temp service has also complicated looking for something full time--inflexible hours means Campbell can't head off to job interviews during normal business hours.

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"I'd lose my job to take a chance at a new job," he said.

According to the Employment Situation Summary report released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 8 million Americans are considered “involuntary part-time workers,” meaning that they are working part time because their hours have been cut back or they were simply unable to find a full-time job.

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In May, the number of Americans who were unemployed for 27 weeks or more increased by 361,000 to more than 6 million, the report said.

And, the report noted, 2.2 million people who wanted and were available for work were not in the labor force, even though they had sought jobs sometime within the past year. These people, considered “marginally attached to the labor force,” were not counted among the officially unemployed since they had not searched for work in the month before the survey.

Those numbers come at the same time the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that only 54,000 jobs were added to the economy in May, the lowest growth in payroll since September 2010.

More than 800,000 of “marginally attached” people reported that they were discouraged about seeking work because they believe there are no jobs available for them. Of the “marginally attached,” 1.4 million had stopped seeking work because they were attending school or dealing with family responsibilities.

The news is out just before a major job fair in St. Louis, the sixth time for the event sponsored by U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay (D-St. Louis) and Harris-Stowe State University. That event is Monday and expects to feature dozens of employers such as Express Scripts, World Wide Technology and Schnucks in Maryland Heights; Best Buy, with locations in Brentwood, Crestwood, Chesterfield, St. Peters, Manchester, South County, Fenton and St. Charles among others; the area casinos from Lemay, Maryland Heights andSt. Charles; and UPS, with locations in Maryland Heights, Creve Coeur, Olivette and St. Charles.

Doors open for that job fair at 9:30 a.m. Monday at Harris-Stowe State University’s Emerson Physical Education and Performing Arts Center, 3026 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis.

Lake Saint Louis resident Tom Harper, 30, plans to head to the United Arab Emirates for a job teaching English to high school students in the fall.

Harper said he's had seven years teaching experience, although right now he's working two part-time jobs.

"It was a really good opportunity and great money," he said. "The teaching market is a little dry here."

Matt Gordon, owner of Rock Ridge Media, a privately held St. Charles-based company, said that part of the problem is that job seekers are very selective. He said he was surprised at the lack of response his company gets when it places job ads on Monster.com, Craigslist and a local university career development job board.

“They want a base salary, commission, and benefits,” Gordon said. “They want the security of a regular paycheck, and they will pass up more lucrative opportunities in order to get it.”

Rock Ridge Media is looking for salespeople to sell a marketing package that is tailored for small, local companies. Gordon said it’s very affordable and gets great results, but he can’t find people willing to take the sales positions.

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