Then her workday begins, a bad nightmare she only wishes she could escape from. Instead of heading off to a steady job, she spends the next several hours looking for one. She thumbs through a phone book looking to call possible employers. When that doesn't work, she's at the fax machine firing off her resume. She does this four to five hours every day. She said she's lucky if two or three businesses call her back in a single week. "No one is wanting to hire," Harker said. "It is frustrating." As the country continues to be mired in an economic morass not seen for some time, Warren Countians are feeling the money crunch. The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center reported earlier this month the unemployment rate for November rose to 8 percent in Warren County, its highest figure since May. The county had gone as low as 6.4 percent in June and never topped 7.1 over the next four months until having the 20th-highest mark in the state. In comparison, Warren County's jobless rate for November 2007 was 5.6 percent. The state's jobless rate in November of 2008 was 6.7 percent. Earlier this month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the unemployment rate nationwide increased in December to 7.2 percent, up from 6.8. No job means no paycheck. Being unemployed doesn't stop bills from arriving in the mail. Harker works in the health care field and was laid off right before Thanksgiving. Getting a job has now become her job. She said her former employer told her "they would give me a great recommendation, but that's not going to pay my bills," she said. "That's not going to help me." Harker's daily routine is becoming all too familiar for employees at the Missouri Career Center office in Warrenton. "We get excited that people know where we are, but when you look at the situation, it's really sad to see this many people out of work," said Joann Toerper, program administrator. "It's very disheartening." Unemployed people shuffle in and out of the Missouri Career Center every day. Monday was no exception. Visitors were either sitting at computers looking for jobs, meeting with case workers who are helping them clean up their resumes, or waiting for workshops to be held. In 2007, the career center helped 455 people, according to employee Kia Phillips. Last year, that number rose dramatically to 1,988. Since the last week of December until now, 900 people have used the resources available at the career center. Lana Vestal, workforce development supervisor at the Career Center, said it's an annual trend for fewer jobs to be available in the last quarter of the year and it normally carries over into the first quarter of the new year. "Typically when you go back into history, we go through a bad time but things always get better," she said. "That is what you have to focus on." Hope may be on the horizon. Phillips is spearheading a career fair that will be held on March 11 at the American Legion Hall located on Highway W just outside of Warrenton. She hopes a variety of employers will need to add to their work force by then. "Something has to happen," Phillips said. On Monday, Adam Horn was being helped by a Missouri Career Center staff member as he began his quest to find a new job. He worked at Wal-Mart during a brief stint in college after graduating from high school in 2001. Since then, he has worked in a local factory. Unexpectedly, he was laid off three weeks before Christmas. Married with two kids, that wasn't the ideal time to be missing a paycheck. Regardless, he needs help as he looks to jump-start his new endeavor. Horn plans on returning to school to become an electrician. "It's good to know that there are people out there to help you," he said. Meanwhile, a few desks away, Harker is still pecking away at a computer. "I try to be as optimistic as possible, but then I have two little boys that remember Mommy has to have a job and the economy is not getting any better," she said. "I'm trying to stay as persistent as possible."

Unemployed? Get in Line

Unemployed? Get in Line