Manatee’s top companies hiring

MANATEE — Jobs are scarce and unemployment is soaring.

The nation had a record-low 2.4 million job openings in July, according to the U.S. Labor Department. That number falls far short of the 14.9 million job seekers nationwide in August.

In this economy, a job opening has become like a contest entry. Hundreds are applying for the chance to win. Except the prize is far greater than electronics or a cruise, it’s income.

In Manatee County, the job market is flooded with applicants. The county had a record-high unemployment rate of 12.2 percent through July. That’s 17,724 people who need a job, according to state labor statistics.

So to find that all except one of Manatee County’s top 10 employers are hiring, is shocking even to economist Henry Fishkind.

“It’s encouraging and surprising,” said Fishkind, principal of economic and financial consulting firm Fishkind & Associates, Inc., based in Orlando.

From the Manatee County Economic Development Council’s list of the county’s top 10 public and private employers, we found at least 100 jobs in health care, government and retail. Some are full-time; others are temporary and seasonal.

And applicants will find lots of competition.

Manatee school district

Manatee County schools employs 7,000, according to the EDC, and has 26 positions to fill.

Those positions include openings for teachers in which the salary starts at $38,517 and support positions such as custodial, food service and administrative.

Starting pay for support positions range from $9.55 an hour for a food service employee to $14.23 an hour for a licensed practical nurse.

Becky Wells, director of human resources for the Manatee County school district, said the open positions are drawing an overwhelming response from job seekers.

“The whole economy is supply and demand, and we are swamped daily with applicants coming in looking for work,” Wells said. “They’ll take any kind of work. We’re in pretty desperate times.”

Openings for support staff draw the most applications. Wells said the district received 60 qualified applicants for a secretary position it has available.

“That’s just 60 qualified,” she said.

County government

Job openings at the county have been scarce of late due to budget cuts. The county had just seven positions available as of Friday for the following departments: utilities, public works, parks and recreation, neighborhood services, financial management and natural resources.

Starting salary ranged from $11.50 an hour for a grounds keeper to $55,203 for an impact fee program manager.

Employment Manager Carol Laudicina said the county has received 50 to 100 applications for each position.

“There is tremendous response to every position being advertised, which is indicative of the unemployment rate,” Laudicina said.

So how does a job seeker stand to gain an edge when applying?

“Be very thorough when completing your employment application,” Laudicina said. “Provide detailed experience for every question.”