Latest
unemployment
rate highest since
mid 1980’s

By Misti Drew
Tribune-Courier Reporter
mdrew@tribunecourier.com

MARSHALL COUNTY – As the economic downturn continues, unemployment rates continue to soar.

And the 28 employees to be laid off at Calvert City’s Gerdau Ameristeel plant are just another chapter in the ever unfolding tale of hard times hitting home.

It’s something county and city officials are watching closely.

“It hasn’t been this bad since the mid 80’s,” County Judge-Executive Mike Miller said. “We are certainly beginning to feel the affects.”

Marshall County’s unemployment rate has been steadily climbing since 2007, where the number rested at 5.9 percent, some .5 percent below the state’s average.

In 2008, the county’s rate rose to 6.4 percent, spiking to 10.9 percent in February of this year, the second highest in the Purchase Area region.

Marshall ranks second only to Fulton County, whose unemployment rate stands at 11.6 percent. The state rate is currently below both at 10.2.

But Ameristeel’s recent round of layoffs is just one of many that has affected local in the past year.

Benton’s Fleetwood manufacturing plant recently closed it’s doors, leaving 135 employees without work. Employees were notified shortly before Christmas.

While it hasn’t made front page headlines, other Calvert City plants have been intermittently laying off a few employees at a time in an effort to cut costs, as well.

Gilda Martin Office Manager for Integrity Solutions in Calvert City. said she has seen her fair share of the devastation left behind.

“I was actually in purchasing with Mattel when they moved to Mexico and watched as all of those people lost their jobs. Many were husband and wife and had been working there since high school – they didn’t know how to do anything else.”

Martin said it’s that personal experience that makes her passionate about helping others get back into the workforce when something unexpected happens.

Martin said she has seen the number of applicants trend upward as the economy teeters on recession.

“We have broadened our scope of employment opportunities,” Martin said. “In the past we have offered everything from labor to engineering jobs, but now we offer class A and CDL employment as well as professional staffing positions in the medical field.”

Martin said she encourages workers who have been or are facing layoffs to begin seeking employment before their unemployment benefits expire.

Resume writing assistance is available through local unemployment offices and public libraries, free of charge.

The government is also stepping in to aid displaced workers.

Under the KCTCS Career Transitions program, participants can receive a 50 percent tuition scholarship for up to six credit hours per term.

They’ll also receive personalized assistance to help them apply for financial aid and complete the college admission process, as well as advising and training sessions.

The year-long program will be offered at all 16 Kentucky community colleges,.

Kentucky residents who have filed for unemployment benefits since Oct. 1, 2008, are eligible.

Institutions such as West Kentucky Tech are offering free job training programs in fields such as, HVAC, welding and masonry.

Classes include free tuition and books. Contact 534-3366 for additional information.

Additionally, states now have the opportunity to pay an additional 13 to 20 weeks of extended unemployment benefits to workers who run out of their compensation at no additional cost to the state.

However, state legislators failed to make the necessary change in law that would have made jobless Kentuckians eligible for such extended benefits, citing a conflict in unemployment rate requirements.

Governor Steve Beshear is currently seeking to determine if he can utilize his executive powers to correct the oversight, or if a special-called legislative session will be necessary to provide the extended benefits.