Employment

Brooke works at Oregon's Employment Department. So I am inspired to write about employment today.

Oregon's unemployment numbers were released Monday (11.2%) and Washington's numbers yesterday (9.3%). We in Clark County have the unenviable, #1 unemployment in Washington state: 13.7%. In part that means our residents are still looking for work (Oregon reported a flat trend, they said, because many people have given up).

Our county government is hurting. We are going through another round of cuts. Does it impact me? Only that our pay is still frozen. I've had two years at the same pay, and next year will be the same. But at least I'm still working and have insurance coverage. I know three people in one department were terminated last week. A woman I know in another department will lose her position at the end of this month. One woman in our larger department of the Auditor's Office is seeing her position cut in six months, but she has been cross-training and filling in for someone who is on disability leave, and that person will probably take permanent disability soon.

It would have been very easy to cut the three of us who are internal auditors. Mike and I would have been fine. Luckily people see value in the work we do, so I'm going to keep earning that respect, repaying the honor of serving all county managers and the citizens of the county by doing my best work every day. I'm not the one to turn to for touchy-feely, morale building, or hand holding. But give me a task, and I will get it done. Maybe with some dry humor thrown in.