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Job hunting in Southern Illinois has become a full contact sport. There are easily 100 candidates for each job and people are willing to fight for jobs; literally. This is an area that is first to see a recession and the last to leave it. A coal mining region that was decimated by the Clean Coal Act in the late 1980s, it has yet to recover.
It doesn't even really matter what type of industry you are in if you are unemployed. Everything from fast food to high tech jobs is scarce and every day another business closes down. What the government or politicians say matters very little around here. The politicians say that the recession is over and we agree. Locally we are in the midst of a depression.
The traditional avenues that I would normally take when looking for a new job, counseling and journalism, have all but vanished. The back up sources of retail and even fast food are simply not looking. People who have jobs are accepting cuts in pay to keep those jobs because they know that the wolves are circling.
Locally, I've seen nothing positive in the way of increased interest in resumes and applications I've sent out. On a national level it's been a bit better. I've seen interest from several states that seem to be recovering nicely but pulling up and moving to a new area at this time is not something I really want to do though I may soon be forced into doing just that.
I'm luckier than most in a way because I have no real family times here though I would have to leave a couple of nearby friends that would make moving difficult. I rent so that makes leaving my home much easier.
I do know to be wary of the so-called unemployment numbers that are often announced by the media. Just because fewer people are getting unemployment money doesn't mean the situation has improved. It just means that their time on the dole has run out. That is happening a lot locally. The number of unemployed is getting worse but fewer are still eligible for unemployment benefits. That gives the false impression that things are improving in my area.
The job offers from both North Dakota and Montana have been coming in and are more than decent. The concern is that I will move there and the economy will again shift and my new area will be hit hard. At least here I have a support system in place.
I'm going to hang on a little longer. I'll keep sending out resumes and applications in the hopes that the economy will improve enough nationally to finally reach my area in a positive way. At this point it's really all I can do.
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