LEWISTON — Androscoggin County businesses, along with those in other counties around the state, are posting statistically higher job orders, the first such significant increase since the start of the recent recession, according to officials at the CareerCenter in Lewiston and the Department of Labor in Augusta.
That is positive news for the economy, and officials at the Lewiston Career- Center and staffing agencies in the state say job seekers are responding.
“Opportunities are increasing,” said Mary LaFontaine, manager at the Lewiston CareerCenter. “I think the figures suggest that more people are getting jobs as supported by recent numbers from the Maine Department of Labor.”
Proving that the Lewiston Career- Center numbers are not a fluke, area staffing agencies have also seen a strong increase in job orders.
“In October of this year, our Lewiston branch saw an increase of approximately 55 percent in people assigned to job openings, which equates to an increase of 52 actual assignments compared to October of 2011,” said Kelly Jaeger, branch manager of Bonney Staffing located in Lewiston. “Admittedly, some of these are temporary projects; however, many are also known as ‘temp to hire’ opportunities.”
Jaeger believes these numbers indicate a positive trend in the local economy.
“We are certainly encouraged by the numbers,” said Jaeger. “With locations across the country, company-wide, October was a great month for us. Sixty-seven percent of our current assigned employees are on industrial assignments, which include warehousing, manufacturing, production and other jobs. The remaining 33 percent have been assigned officerelated positions.”
While officials point to the numbers as a strong indicator of positive news, the numbers do not necessarily reflect that the economy has returned to its prerecession rate of growth.
“There are still not enough jobs for all of the unemployed who are actively seeking work, and many of the job postings are requiring skills that the unemployed don’t have,” said LaFontaine. “But what we are seeing is a trend of local businesses, especially in the Lewiston Auburn and Androscoggin County area, posting opportunities.”
More than 90 employers are listing jobs in Androscoggin County. Employers utilizing the Maine Job Bank to post jobs in the Lewiston-Auburn area include TD Bank, Bates College, Wescott Electric, Procter and Gamble, Central Maine Medical Center, Merrymeeting Behavioral Health, Goodwill Industries, Lily Transportation Corp., Bill’s Auto Transport, Carbonite, Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice, VIP, UPS, McKesson and Xerox, as well as such staffing firms as Kelly, Adecco, Maine Staffing Group, Westaff, Manpower, Staff Management and Express Employment Professionals.
Recognizing that many of the job postings require advanced training or a specialized skill set, officials at the CareerCenter highlighted resources available for those needing additional assistance.
“I think for a lot of people, they forget that the CareerCenters around the state work with adult education, community colleges and universities to help people gain the skills they need to access new career paths,” said LaFontaine. “There are several programs and initiatives that can help people access funding so they can more easily take advantage of training or educational opportunities.”
Citing the importance of taking advantage of education opportunities, LaFontaine stressed the job satisfaction and monetary benefits associated with an increased education.
“Many people do not realize that a small investment of time and effort into training to upgrade skills for an entirely different career can have long-term benefits including more job opportunities and higher wages,” she said.
For more information about the Maine CareerCenter, visit www.mainecareercenter.com or call 1-800-741-2991.
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