Facing Recession: Erie County

Thursday,  November 19, 2009 9:25 PM

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SANDUSKY, Ohio — Erie County is small in population compared to others in Ohio, but one of the largest counties in the state in terms of retail dollars spent.

Unfortunately, many people are now shopping for work instead of fun.

"Any give day, we can see between 75 and 115 people," said Jamie Gfell, with Your Job Store, a one-stop shop for job seekers. "If you've been in the workforce for 25 years and you are coming here and you've only had one job straight out of high school, it makes it difficult because you don't know where to start."

At the Sandusky job center, potential employees get help with resumes, interviewing skills and finding potential positions.

Pam Williams, who's been a nurse for 19 years, needs extra income for her family.

"We have to be able to drive to work. We have to be able to feed our kids. We have to put a roof over our head. These are just the basics. We're not doing anything extravagant," said Williams.

Most businesses in the area make their money Memorial Day though Labor Day weekend. Many hotels close during the winter. Erie County relies on spring and summertime.

One of its biggest employers is Cedar Point. They hire about 5,000 people during the summer.

The economy in Erie County isn't experiencing the roller coaster other Ohio counties are. In fact, in April the unemployment rate was above 11 percent. It now stands at around 9 percent, reported ONN's Denise Alex.

"A lot of the travel and tourism jobs which would generally go to high school and college students went to folks that have been laid off from other jobs or people just out of work," said Jill Bauer with Lake Erie Shores and Islands.

Bauer said Erie County keeps people coming year-round as they can take advantage of its wineries, museums and indoor water parks. She calls Erie County an affordable destination.

Pam Williams calls it home 12 months out of the year and will continue to look for work.

ONN's Facing Recession Series:

If you need help finding a job or paying the bills, here's some resources to help you out.

If you have an great story idea about how an Ohioan is facing the recession, tell us about it here.

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