Thousands of long-term unemployed seek steady work

While the unemployment rate in Colorado is at its lowest it’s been since 2008, thousands have been without work for more than six months.

According to the October job statistics, the latest released by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, the state unemployment rate is at 4.3 percent, and 48,100 have been unemployed for more than six months.

“When you don’t have a steady job and steady pay, things get real hard,” job seeker Odakota Hill said. “It gets to be a challenge.”

Hill has been looking for a steady job for seven months. He’s getting help from the Pikes Peak Work Force Center.

“I think sometimes for those with the long-term unemployed, they haven’t been used to the routine of working, they may have gotten out of practice of getting out, getting dressed, getting out the door,” Customer Service Community Outreach Director Traci Marques said. “So any type of routine that they can continue to have, that focuses on having a job, whether it’s going to the library, going to the workforce center to use our services and upgrade their skills during that time off, that’s great both mentally to be around everyone else, other people, and emotionally too.”

Hill is following that advice. He said he visits the center four times a week, looking for jobs in warehouse or sales, while he finishes his electrical engineering degree.

Marques’ other advice is for job seekers to apply for jobs that match their skill set, not everything simply because there are open positions and to attend hiring events. She said even if it’s for jobs they’re not looking for, it’s good practice to speak with others about getting hired.

You can find more on the center’s hiring events here.