Unemployment in Redding, CA

When John Nogle was laid off three months ago from his position at the Shasta County Opportunity Center, he knew it would be difficult to find another job.

In that respect, the Shasta Lake resident hasn't been disappointed.

"I'd tell people looking for a job to take whatever's out there - it's slim pickings," Nogle said one recent weekday morning at the Smart Business Resource Center in downtown Redding. "Even if it's a minimum-wage job, it's better than nothing."

Nogle's hardly alone.

Unemployment in Shasta County in October jumped to a 15-year high as continued declines in the construction sector helped spark the increase. Construction jobs in the county last month totaled 3,700, a 21 percent drop from the 4,700 who were employed in the trade in October 2007, the state reported Friday.

Shasta's jobless rate in October was 10 percent, up from 9.5 percent in September and 7 percent from a year ago. Last month's unemployment rate tied October 1994 and was the highest since October 1993, when it reached 10.7 percent.

In Shasta County, there were 8,900 unemployed in October, up from 8,300 in September, and nearly 3,000 more people without jobs in October 2007. The number of people applying for unemployment benefits in Shasta County last month was 2,469, up from 2,039 a year ago.

California's unemployment rate jumped to 8.2 percent in October, the highest rate in 14 years, just as a state fund that pays unemployment benefits was about to run out of money.

State officials are preparing to ask the federal government to step in with a loan on Dec. 1 so they can continue paying jobless benefits to California's now more than 1.5 million unemployed, nearly a third of whom have lost their jobs in the last year.

Shasta County saw year-over-year job gains in farming, manufacturing, local government, and educational and health services.

For Nogle, who's divorced with three school-aged children, job hunting has been mentally exhausting. But he doesn't have time to dwell on his bad luck.

Nogle's rent is $510 a month and he lives on $800 a month in unemployment benefits. He makes about two trips a week to the Smart Center, which has a database of job openings across the state and also helps job-seekers with resumes, cover letters and interview tips.

"It's been pretty hard. I will go to the Salvation Army to get canned goods and make sure we have food on the table," said Nogle, who made $9 an hour at the county before state budget cuts eliminated his job. "I want welfare to be the last resort."

Nogle's 13-year-old son helps out when he can by doing odd jobs like mowing neighbors' lawns.

"I won't let anything get me down - with kids you can't," Nogle said. "I told my oldest that just because you're down right now, doesn't mean it's the end of the world."

Nogle has applied for a temporary position at Sierra Pacific Industries in Anderson. He might find out Tuesday whether he gets the job.

For Sylvia Partridge, who quit her medical assistant job in Medford, Ore., and moved here to be closer to her family, finding job listings aren't difficult. But it's tough landing an interview when as many as 30 people apply for one job.

"It's very competitive," Partridge said while searching for work at the Smart Center.

Partridge applies for about two jobs a week. She's discovered that hourly wages in Shasta County are below what she made in Medford, Ore.

"I left making $13.41 (an hour) and most of the jobs I've applied for are 10 to 12 dollars an hour," said Partridge, who rents a home in Anderson.

Partridge's husband, who works in retail loss prevention, still lives in Medford. The couple's house is for sale but Partridge's husband won't move until she finds a job.

Meantime, she lives with her two children.

"I haven't applied for unemployment. I'm getting by, so it's OK," Partridge said. "I watch what I spend. There's no eating out; we do what we need to do."