Report: Riverside Co. Unemployment Worse Than Detroit, New Orleans

RIVERSIDE – So many people have given up finding work or are off the unemployment rolls, the estimated number of jobless in Riverside County now approach 1 in 4. That’s worse than Detroit and New Orleans.

About 793,000 people are working in Riverside County. About 128,000 are unemployed. That’s almost 14 percent of the workforce.

But that doesn’t even count the people who have run out of unemployment checks or have just given up finding work. Riverside County’s number, according to Forbes Magazine, is 25 percent.

That’s worse than Detroit with its closed car factories and hurricane-damaged New Orleans.

Construction projects are the county’s stimulus plan.

“The Board of Supervisors in the Coachella Valley has approved a new fire station under construction now,” Tom Freeman with Riverside County Economic Development says. “That employs about 241 people.”

But what about accountants and office workers? They need help too.

Robert Half Recruiting in Indian Wells gives exams to those with business office experience hoping to land another job.

“One has to do whatever is possible to be able to keep themselves presentable,” manager Darren Hager advises.”That may [include] going to a networking event. It might be tweaking the resume and making visits to a professional recruiter for advice. Often, it means taking a temporary job, an opportunity to show your skills with an organization that uses a staffing firm such as this.”