Danny Cooper tears up when he talks about the recession.

Bonnie Smith, a career counselor at McBride Career Group in Okotoks, says who are unemployed are getting frustrated with the tight labour market.

Cooper is a self-employed pressure welder and his bread and butter was work with the oil and gas industry, but when the economic downturn hit, his contracts dried up.

Cooper said he stands to lose everything and is so far in debt, taking on a job that pays minimum wage would not help.

“It’s terrible,” Cooper said choking up. “I’ve worked hard for what I’ve got and I’m about to lose it.”

Cooper’s wife, who has been a stay-at-home mom for their two daughters aged three and six, has also been looking for work in the environmental field in the oil and gas business. He said they have both been sending out resumes and talking to people in the business, but with little or no results.

“I send out resume after resume and everyone I talk to is in the same boat,” he said. “They say they are waiting.”

Cooper said he did have a job that lasted just over three weeks, but besides that it has been sporadic and most of the work is small jobs that pay little.

His wife has started babysitting other people’s children to help pay the bills, but the couple still cannot make ends meet.

He blames the tight job market on the provincial government for recruiting skilled workers from other provinces. He said there seems to be a belief that there are still jobs out there, but said many are still unemployed here in Alberta.

It has got to the point where Cooper can’t afford the $130 fee to take the test that will allow him to renew his welding ticket.

“If I can’t pay for that ticket then even if somebody called me in the next two weeks I couldn’t work,” he said.

Cooper has been getting help from a local business that specializes in finding people employment.

Six months after getting off the streets, Steve Brealy was back living in a tent and said he has spent months looking for a job with little results. photo by Darlene Casten

Bonnie Smith is a career counselor at McBride Career Group in Okotoks. She helps people create a resume, prepare for job interviews, and shows them how to look for work.

Smith said she expects the job market to improve as the outlook in the oil and gas sector improves as stimulus money from the government trickles down. She said some of her clients are having some success.

“The ones who are getting jobs are the ones that are persevering,” she said. “It might take months.”

The number of Okotokians on Employment Income has quadrupled over the past year. According to Statistics Canada, in September 2008 there were 60 Okotokians accessing Employment Income. This year there were 280 on EI.

Ironically, the recession has meant a booming business for Smith as unemployed look for help in finding work.

“I’ve been doing this for 12 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said.

Many of her clients are sending out hundreds of resumes and aren’t hearing anything back.

“People come in and say ‘I’ve put out 500 applications,’” she said. “The employers are getting so many they aren’t responding. It’s not just rejection, it’s not hearing, not knowing.”

Without any prospect for a job and money dwindling, people are having a hard time coping, she said.

“People are coming to the end of their EI,” she said. “A lot of people are coming to the end of their ropes. A lot of people are feeling really bad.”

An Okotoks man said the job situation has put him back on the streets and expects he will have to live outdoors throughout the winter.

Steve Brealy has been living in a tent for six months in Okotoks. One year ago Brealy was on the streets, but managed to find temporary work and shelter until June.

Last spring Brealy was working and living in Turner Valley doing renovations, but when that job finished, he found himself unemployed again and didn’t have enough money for rent. He has been looking for another job for six months and only recently got work for four hours every Sunday. Even if he could find full time work, Brealy said it would take several months to save up enough money for a damage deposit and first months rent.

“It’s terrible,” he said, adding there are some trades jobs available, but very little for unskilled labour.

The Healthy Family Resource Centre in Okotoks has seen a large jump in the number of people accessing its services. In September Sherri Mullen, centre co-ordinator, said the number of people using the centre has increased 65 per cent over the past two years.

The demographics of the clients are also changing Mullen said, with more middle class workers and seniors finding themselves in need of help.

To help curb unemployment McBride Career Group and Alberta Employment and Immigration are hosting a seminar this evening (Wednesday) entitled Alternatives to Layoffs.

The workshop features Alberta Employment and Immigration business and industry liaison staff presenting information on strategies and alternatives to lay offs, as well as information about the government services and resources available to help employers and staff make the transition when lay offs cannot be avoided. Other topics that will be discussed include how businesses can improve their bottom line, and information about being an employer of choice.

The event will be held at the Okotoks Public Library from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and there is no charge to attend. For more information contact Lynne Brown with McBride Career Group at 403-995-4377 or e-mail: lbrown@mcbridecareergroup.com

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