Fruitless Search Frustrates Job Hunter
Illawarra Mercury
Wednesday October 25, 2006
TWO years of fruitless job hunting has left Kemblawarra woman Monica Pillon frustrated and demoralised.
With more than 19 years' experience as a cleaner, Ms Pillon, 44, has given up hope of a job in the Illawarra and is sending her resume to Sydney. She is one of an estimated 36,000 people out of work in the Illawarra. Figures released yesterday show the Illawarra's unemployment rate rose from 9.5 per cent in August to 10.9 per cent in September. "A lot of people from the Illawarra travel to Sydney and I would travel to Sydney if it means getting a job. It seems obvious that there's no work for me here in the Illawarra," Ms Pillon said."It's difficult for me to accept - not being able to find work - I have always done the right thing. I don't take sickies and I have never been on compo (workers' compensation) and on my days off I have always been willing to go in (to work) if they needed me."Ms Pillon's work history is primarily as a cleaner in the health care sector, but she has aged care qualifications and has applied for jobs across a range of industries in the past two years."Sometimes(employees) come back to me and say I'm not qualified enough. Sometimes I don't hear back from them at all," she said."I'm a single person but I've got to struggle to keep a roof over my head and keep food on the table and pay my bills. I get $410 a fortnight from Centrelink and pay $260 a fortnight rent. That doesn't leave much leftover for anything else." "I have got a car and I need my car if I get employment especially in Sydney or shift work ... ."
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