Unemployment rate affects students even before graduation

By CHELSEA COOK

From an economic standpoint, Athens, Ga. is, by definition, the quintessential college town. The university serves as the main economic powerhouse for the county? Check. Population and residency occupants reduce to half during the summer months? Check. Unemployment rates still low, despite the recession? Not so fast.

For July 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an unemployment rate of 7.7 percent for Athens Clarke-County – and while lower than the national average, unemployment in Athens is significantly higher than comparable college towns. Gainesville, Fla., home of the University of Florida, clocked in at 1.9 percent while Charlottesville, Va., home of the University of Virginia, is even lower at 1.4 percent.

As small businesses close their doors and the University’s hiring freeze continues, finding a job in Athens has become a struggle -- and for students, finding a part-time job is even more difficult.

“I think a lot of [part-time] employers think that students who want jobs don’t apply for them out of necessity,” said Walt McGinnis, a junior sociology major from Tucker, Ga. “That’s just not true. I’m not trying to find a job so I can have more of a booze fund, I’m trying to find a job to stop putting my utilities on my credit card.”
McGinnis has applied to 12 employers since June, and has yet to land a part-time position.

Brittney Ferris, a senior early childhood education and family development major from Atlanta said the daycare center where she has worked for two years has stopped hiring students.

“When I first started here, I was one of like four girls who were in my major. They have since quit and I am the only student left,” Ferris said. “A lot of my co-workers are in their 30s and came here after losing their jobs at other pre-schools and daycare centers.”
Ferris also said she doesn’t think the center has intentionally stopped hiring students, but that more experienced adults were applying who were more eligible and had more availability.

Mallory Orr, manager at Pitaya, a clothing store downtown, said this is exactly why she thinks fewer students are getting hired.

“I know what it’s like to take classes and need a job,” said Orr, a senior fashion merchandising major from Winder. “But it’s hard, because although I get way more students who apply, if an [adult] with years of retail experience and a wide-open schedule comes in here, they are obviously the better candidate.”

Amy Scott, hiring manager and banquet director at Trumps Catering downtown, said she has seen an increase in non-student hires over the past two years.

"I think that catering is a respectable job that is flexible, so we have several [applicants] that are over 30, and a lot of them have more than one job," Scott said. Although Scott recognized that these types of applicants may be more eligible, she said wouldn’t necessarily hire them over a qualified student applicant.

Orr also said it is more likely that a post-graduate would hold onto the position for a few years, while hiring a student usually only lasts for a year -- at most.

“It’s just frustrating,” McGinnis said. “How am I supposed to get experience if I can’t get hired? And how do I make myself stand out in a pool of applicants that have so much more experience than I do?”

Orr offered advice to McGinnis and the many other students in his position:

“Be flexible,” she said. “You have no idea how many people fill out their availability [on a job application] and write something like, ‘No Fridays, no game days, Sundays negotiable.’ Are you kidding me? Jobs are hard to find here and everywhere right now, so fight for it. Make sacrifices if you have to.”

- Edited by Sloane Wimberly