Residents turn to agencies for help finding work amid lagging job market

Alice Ragland's nephew has been searching for a job - any job - for more than six months, she said.

Like many Nevadans, she said it takes a lot of strength for him to avoid feeling defeated.

Ragland accompanied her nephew to Las Vegas JobConnect Jan. 2 for moral support. Ragland, a retiree from a Las Vegas security firm, said it was her first time at the unemployment office, and she was surprised by how quickly the line moved.

Her nephew searched the job postings printed on large sheets of paper and hung in the back room while she waited . Her nephew and his son rely on the family, she said.

"Family pulls together and looks out for one another," Ragland said. "Whoever has a job has to pitch in and help out. Everybody helps. That support is very important."

Beyond the financial care, emotional support is important, she said. She advised family members of unemployed people to be understanding and pitch in.

"The moral support is most important, I believe," she said. "If you have a family, you have a better chance at searching."

The JobConnect office at 3405 S. Maryland Parkway serves a wide range of people with employment concerns. Young and old alike, the job seekers include those with decades of experience in a field that no longer exists and those who cannot find work after investing in an expensive college degree.

Ollie Sloane filled out paperwork and used the fax machine at JobConnect in preparation for surgery on her hands that she expected would take her out of the workforce for more than three months.

Sloane is seeking a position to substitute her income until she is able to return to work as a nurse.

She said she is concerned that she may be unable to return to her career if the surgery causes permanent nerve damage . If that happens, she said she has thought about returning to school. She had not decided what she would like to study yet . She was more focused on the surgery .

The Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow, 1931 Stella Lake Drive, helps people gain skills for jobs for which they would otherwise no longer be qualified. Organization founder and CEO Janet Frasier Blumen said the foundation, which provides the services free, has been around for 16 years, but the job market is much worse than when the group began.

"I think things may turn the corner, but right now things aren't much better," Frasier Blumen said.

It is particularly difficult for people who used to work in the construction industry, she said. She said it is not uncommon to see someone with 10 years of experience in construction be unemployed for more than two years .

The foundation's slogan used to be "better jobs, better futures," she said, but it changed two years ago to " ending unemployment, one person at a time."

Frasier Blumen serves many clients from the Centennial Hills area, she said, because her program is unique. The foundation pairs unemployed people who are at least 18 years old, drug- and alcohol-free and motivated with a case manager to establish what it is they are missing to be competitive in the job market.

The foundation teaches everything from basic computer skills and résumé editing to hygiene . The organization will even help its clients obtain bus vouchers for an interview or food assistance because Frasier Blumen believes in a holistic job search.

She said people cannot attentively focus on their job search if they are worried about feeding their family.

"The longer you're unemployed, the worse it gets," she said.

It is easy to fall behind on a mortgage and then lose a house and move into an apartment, only to fall behind on the rent, she said.

She said her clients are unemployed for 11 months on average, but it varies drastically. In the last three years, the foundation has placed 1,270 people back in the workforce doing anything from computer repairs to dog grooming.

The foundation plans to break ground on an 8,650-square-foot second story in April to conduct more training classes on medical terminology, budgeting, financial management, career strategy and more.

But Frasier Blumen said the most important skill people learn to be competitive in the Las Vegas Valley job market is literacy in reading and math.

"For so long, we relied on the hospitality industry, and we got lax on some of the basic skills," Frasier Blumen said.

Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the country, and Frasier Blumen said that is obvious for anyone entering the job market in the valley. When a company posts that it has 10 positions open, Frasier Blumen said she has more than 300 people show up for the same jobs.

"So many people are looking for so few jobs that I think it's especially challenging," she said. "There are so many unemployed and so few employment possibilities, it's becoming exceedingly difficult."

She suggested that unemployed people take a realistic look at their skills and target jobs they may be able to get rather than the ideal position.

The Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow can be reached at 702-367-4348.

Contact Centennial and North Las Vegas View reporter Laura Phelps at lphelps@viewnews.com or 702-477-3839.