| Taylor and two friends spent two hours stopping at every one of the 60 or so employers offering jobs that had anything to do with clerical, office or secretarial work.
The 22-year-old has two children and scrapes by on $900 per month in disability pay and child support.
Labor economists, social service agencies and even temporary employment agencies say that the struggle Taylor and other job seekers are dealing with has its roots squarely in the housing slowdown, which has sent ripples through nearly every part of the Southwest Florida economy.
People are spending less and thus businesses are making less and making the decision to cut jobs.
In Southwest Florida, where most everything is tied in some way to the real estate and construction business, the labor market is feeling the pain more than most places in Florida.
Charlotte County had the region’s highest unemployment rate at 5.6 percent in August, outstripping both the national and state averages. Sarasota County had a 4.5 percent jobless rate during August while Manatee County reported 4.3 percent.
Statewide, the construction industry alone has lost 18,500 jobs since 2006. |
