Scene in Passing: Evidence mounts; jobless recovery less so

More evidence, some subjective but a bit of it objective and all of it local, is surfacing to show gathering steam in the slow but steady economy’s work force recovery.

The job fair put on last week by city government’s Health and Human Services (HHS), Job Opportunities In Nevada (JOIN) and the city’s Chamber of Commerce attracted 45 employers who told organizers they had 1,391 jobs available, 536 of them in Carson City.

There were 495 job seekers who showed up to make contacts that could lead to employment, 366 of them from Carson City, organizers report. That is a good passel of people, but if memory serves it is a bit down from the number showing up a year ago, when the first such fair was held. Back then there were fewer employers and jobs, and more seekers.

The upbeat part this time, from this perspective, is there were many more jobs than job seekers. Not everyone who showed up will wind up with a job from the fair and follow up, but listening to conversations there showed prospective employers weren’t just going through the motions; neither were those on the prowl for a new job.

Now to the personal: two folks known by this scrivener showed up, one of whom I chatted with and one who told me later she was there. Eric Neusel, identified inaccurately in a previous article as a 39-year veteran of the printing industry, is a 30-year printing press operator with a solid work ethic who was laid off in January.

Kathleen Plante, also no stranger to work and the drive to be productive, not only has the ethic but the varied background to meet virtually any employer’s need. Her latest job was with a local attorney’s office, and she has a lifetime background in not-for-profits and health care with a criminal justice lobbying organization, and has the capacity to learn anything. Like Eric, she hasn’t been on the market long.

These people are so well-known to me, I should declare a conflict of interest in touting them even though they deserve it. But the point here isn’t my conflict. It’s their competence.

When you reach the point in a jobless recovery in which these people are on the market and the market is moving in the right direction, it means they won’t be available for long.

It’s economic recovery time here, one or two jobs at a time. Or in bunches.

Don’t forget: Hiring is starting for jobs at Carson City’s three new retail outlets, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Bealls and a Ross Dress for Less store.

By the way, the Carson City Library is getting in on the one or two or more at a time action. At 1 p.m. Tuesday in the @Two Digital Learning Center, the library and the online research and reference tool known as ReferenceUSA will host a free job seminar.