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Highlands Today

Hunting For Work Tough During Tourist Season

Jasmina Meyer,Highlands Today

Naomi Wilkerson picks up her table's order from the kitchen at Bob Evans Restaurant on Monday in Sebring. Wilkerson is a snowbird who owns a concession business and works part-time as a server while in Sebring.

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By BILL ROGERS

Highlands Today

Published: December 23, 2008

SEBRING - In better economic times, many stores and restaurants would need extra help during the winter tourist season in Highlands County. But that is not the case this year.

"We're not seeing a lot of job orders coming in," said Donna Doubleday, vice president/chief operations officer for Heartland Workforce, noting that employers have plenty of applications on file.

Roger Hood, president/CEO of Heartland Workforce, said the job placement organization is seeing people who have been laid off and are looking for jobs, and have skills that normally would qualify them for full-time jobs.Hood added that more people are applying for lower skill jobs, simply to get a paycheck.

The unemployment rate in Highlands County continues to climb. It was 9 percent in November, according to the Agency for Workforce Innovation.

The rate has increased by more than three points compared to a year ago when it was 5.6 in November 2007, although the percentage of those not working has reached double digits in Highlands before. The rate was 10.7 percent in 1992 and 10.5 percent in 1993.

Some businesses and restaurants will be adding employees.

Cross Country Automotive Services is hiring and has both full-time and part-time positions, according to Ken Danielson, human resources generalist for the company. Danielson said one training class for employees that will begin Jan. 5 is full. A second class is being planned next month and it is possible a third class might be scheduled.

Danielson said the call center operation in Sebring has a "tremendous number of applications." He noted Cross Country has already received more applications through the first 10 months of this year than any other entire year.

Stephen Kelly, general manager at Bob Evans Restaurant in Sebring, said Monday he will likely bring in a couple of additional employees for the season and that will depend on sales volume and trends.

"We haven't been way down and haven't been way up," Kelly said. "(Sales) are pretty much flat."

Kelly said some restaurants aren't faring well.

"We will keep doing the same thing; we're not cutting on portions," Kelly added.

Mark Tharp, owner of Golden Corral, said the Lake Placid restaurant will bring in some extra workers in the winter but not as many as in the past.

Chili's in Sebring will also be hiring a few people, according to Maria Snelgrove, assistant manager at the eatery.

The U.S. Census Bureau is also hiring workers in Highlands County to conduct the 2010 Census.

Doubleday said a "pretty good number" of people have applied for census jobs.

Highlands Today News Editor Bill Rogers may be reached at 386-5825 or wrogers@highlandstoday.com

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