Underemployed Workers Here Struggling as Job Growth Lags

When she had trouble finding a job in 2004, Florissant resident Melina Collison decided to go back to school to get her degree. She successfully attained both an associate’s degree in psychology and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, but Collison said she has not been able to secure a job in her field.

“I could not find a job for two years after I graduated,” Collison said. “I applied everywhere that those degrees were applicable and was actually hired on with the State of Missouri twice, once for juvenile probation and parole and another time for adult probation and parole.”

But Collison said that although she received a letter from the state telling her where and when she would begin work in both cases, each time she later received a phone call saying the state was in a hiring freeze, so she didn’t have the job after all. 

According to the Employment Situation Summary report released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Collison’s situation isn’t uncommon. 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.

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.

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 an St. 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.

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.

Collison said that in her case, she eventually found a job outside her field, thanks to a referral from her mother.

“I had to find a way to support my family, so I called my mom who has worked with her company for 24 years, and she got me a job,” Collison said. “I am not using my degrees at all, but at least I’m making more because of them.”

She said that even though she’s making a great salary now, she still wishes she could work in a job that allows her to utilize her degree.

“I have to take what I can get. There are no other options,” Collison said. “You’re offered a job, you take it.”

Collison added that she’d like to see President Obama offer a bailout on student loans.

“We need help,” she said. “Those of us who do find jobs still can’t pay our bills.”