By Sara Strong
This year's economic downturn has almost doubled Rock County's job counseling caseload compared with last year's.
Brian Sietsema is helping people who can work find it.
Sietsema works only with people who are able to work in some capacity. He tries to help them identify or develop job skills and find suitable work.
As a job counselor for the Private Industry Council, Sietsema contracts with Family Services to work with clients receiving cash assistance.
That cash assistance has a lifetime limit of 60 months as set by the state Legislature in 1997. So those who were in the program at that time can expect to lose those benefits in June.
Sietsema said most of his clients receiving cash benefits move in and out of the program, but one family could hit the maximum next March.
"People used to be able to do a lot of job hopping, but in this economy, I tell them not to quit a job unless they have one lined up for sure," Sietsema said.
Keeping jobs is something Sietsema said some of his clients have difficulty doing in any economy. The responsibility, along with other barriers, like training or transportation, can prevent people from becoming fully independent.
His job is kept as efficient as possible by working in close proximity to financial workers and other Family Services workers. This keeps communication open on case files and ensures that clients are both kept in line and helped to the maximum ability of the agencies.
Sietsema has also started a local Job Club to serve some of the clients who used to have to go to Worthington.
He credits local employers for giving some of his clients valuable work experience. "We have really good business people here," Sietsema said.
The Private Industry Council pays for the position of some workers in order for them to get work experience and better job references.
Living in southwest Minnesota doesn't offer many opportunities for high paying jobs.
The Minnesota Department of Economic Security reported in January that more than 60 percent of job vacancies in the region required a high school diploma and pay a median wage of $8 an hour. Another 18 percent of job vacancies didn't require a diploma and paid $8 an hour.
That leaves vocational training, two-year degrees, bachelor's degrees and advanced degrees with the smaller portions of job openings, and even those pay a lower wage than in other parts of the state.
The message that study sends is that the majority of job openings don't keep the most educated workers and that workers who take the available jobs don't make enough to support families.
Sietsema points out that the state makes exceptions for people who can't work and that they will continue to receive cash assistance past the state limits.
Clients who lose cash help will continue to qualify for healthcare, food stamps and day care if they are employed.