Job Outlook Not Bleak in Mercer

Despite the persistent drumbeat of layoffs and rumors of layoffs found nearly daily in the press, the job situation in Mercer County and the surrounding area seems to be holding its own although there are signs of weakening in some areas.

According to the Robert Christedes, manager of the Mercer

Admittedly, the trend is up, Christedes said, but he attributes much of the current rise in unemployment to the decline in travel and related industries following the tragedies in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington. And the anthrax scare hasn't helped, either, he remarked.

Businesses and industries hard hit by the war on terrorists include limo services (to airports) restaurant workers, credit card usage and even casinos and race tracks.

People seem reluctant to travel unless they must and are avoiding public places in many instances.

"However, we would call our overall increase in clients to be more of a trickle, than a flood At this point I'd say we should not be alarmed. Most of the claims we are Joan getting amount to a few here and a few there, not massive layoffs that we read about in other places," Christedes observed.

Today the office, at 28 Yard Ave., Trenton, emphasizes expert counseling and assistance in finding a new job. All services are free.

People looking for work often turn to employment agencies for help and guidance. Joan Main, regional vice-president of J&J Staffing Resources located at 1230 Parkway Ave., West Trenton (as well as 10 other branches in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware) reports that, "there are more people in this area who are looking for jobs than there are jobs available just now."

However, she is not pessimistic about the future, not even the near future. "We think things are going to pick up, probably in the first quarter of the coming year," she said.

Her firm handles temporary, part-time and full-time workers ranging from day laborers and domestic help right up to the executive ranks. She says that her firm is still busy, despite the economic downturn, but attributes this to the fact that J&J has been in business for more than 30 years and has built up a sizable and loyal list of clients.

Main reports that the tragedy in New York is now starting to be felt in the job market in this area, but the full impact is yet to emerge. A principal part of her business is office support services such as data entry, word processing, secretaries, clerks, etc.

The challenge in filling these jobs is finding people who not only know how the job functions, but who also understand simple work ethics, such as showing up on time and with minimal absences. She said she sees some improvement in educational achievement as provided by the public schools over earlier applicants.

Older workers remain in demand because of their strong work ethic and reliability, but some employers shie away from them because of physical limitations and the stronger than average potential for illness resulting in job absenteeism. Not so, she says. Older workers are generally very reliable.

Jobs based on Internet technology and other tech areas are handled in the J&J offices in Cherry Hill.

Marilyn Mangone Stoddard, an account executive with Stratus Services Group, Inc., of 133 Franklin Corner Rd., Lawrenceville (formerly Source One Personnel) finds the current employment picture somewhat less bright than it was, but not worrisome, as yet. Her large firm with 40 offices in the East handles job placement and recruiting for just about every type of occupation or business.

Her office does a brisk business in temporary help and part-timers as well as recruiting full-timers in occupations ranging from routine office help up to $300,000 a year CEO'S.

She has not seen much activity related to the tragic World Trade Center disaster, but doesn't rule out repercussions from that tragedy as displaced workers look for jobs outside New York City.

She is cautiously optimistic about economic improvement in 2002, but points out that her business is usually steady either on the upside of the job market, or the downside, since one places the burden on job seekers, while the other favors the needs of the employer. Only when the economy is "steady" does business fall off for successful employment agencies, she noted.