NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Chauntelle Lafen hopes to fi nd a clerical job to boost her resume, but said she will take any work right now.
The 21-year-old Fayetteville resident said she got some good leads at a recent job fair and would take a seasonal retail position.
“I would take anything that will put a penny in my pocket,” Lafen said.
She is not alone. The local unemployment rate was 6.5 percent in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The area continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in the state, but the August number was up from 6.4 percent in July.
The bureau will release local September unemployment numbers Wednesday. State and national numbers for September showed Arkansas’ unemployment edged up to 7.7 percent. The national rate was 9.6 percent.
Kathy Deck, director for the Center for Business and Economic Research Center at the University of Arkansas, said the economy relies on seasonal employment for yearly success.
“There is no reason to believe that we won’t see it come back,” she said. “Employment is no longer falling off a cliff. It’s just not coming back theway we would like to see it.”
BY THE NUMBERS
SEASONAL WORK
The number of retail employees added in October, November and December has varied year to year, dropping to an all time low in 2008.
1999 — 849,400
2000 — 788,100
2001 — 585,300
2002 — 669,600
2003 — 640,000
2004 — 710,200
2005 — 711,400
2006 — 746,800
2007 — 720,800
2008 — 324,900
2009 — 501,400
SOURCE: CHALLENGER, GRAY & CHRISTMAS
The number of temporary jobs added this holiday season should mirror last year, when seasonal employment was 501,400, according to consulting fi rm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
“Retailers do not want to be caught with too many workers at a time when many of the fundamentals needed for strong consumer spending remain a little shaky,” John A. Challenger, CEO of the consulting firm, stated in a report.
He expects the hiring surge to come in November and December as retailers wait to see how holiday sales are going before adding extra workers.
Fayetteville’s Bath & Body Worksis bucking that trend. Trevor Cooper, co-manager at the Northwest Arkansas Mall store, said he is hiring 58 seasonal workers and as ofmidweek had hired most of them.
“It’s been easier to get applications this year, but fi nding the extroverted personality we like hasbeen more work,” Cooper said.
Bath & Body Works seasonalemployees work between five and 10 hours a week and are paid $7.35 an hour and are eligible for a 30 percent discount at the store and sister retailer Victoria’s Secret.
“It’s a good way to make some fun little shopping money,” Cooper said.
Cooper said some seasonal workers who prove to be a good fit are asked to join the permanent staff .
Thomas Jensen, head of the marketing department at the University of Arkansas, said many retailers fi nd permanent workers this way.
“Seasonal work gives retailers a chance to check out employees,” he said.
Large discounters like Walmart and Target will provide the best opportunities for seasonal job seekers, Challenger said, because they will be favored by costconscious consumers.
The National Retail Federation’s consumer holiday spending projection backs the trend of cautious spending. A federation report estimates each consumer will spend almost $689 this holiday season. The number has been flat the past two years after hitting a high of $755 in 2007.
Bentonville-based Walmart is hiring additional associates for the holiday season, and those decisions are made at the local level on a store-by-store basis, said Dan Fogleman, Walmart spokesman.
Challenger said no matter where seasonal job seekers fi nd employment they must remain fl exible in the hours they can work and the type of job they can do.
“Either can vary as the holiday season progresses,” he said.
Our Town, Pages 19 on 10/31/2010