NEWARK -- Forty-one of the 1,311 Licking County residents who work at The Longaberger Co. were told Tuesday that they would lose their jobs on May 6, but local manufacturers say they will be looking to hire more help in the coming months.



And although Longaberger's announcement this week of 461 total job cuts came as no real surprise to the community, local employers are worried that they may not have a large enough labor pool from which to choose.



"There is the concern that some of the people who have been laid off in the past have left the area and they might not come back," said Jerry Waller, vice president and manager of Modern Welding of Ohio.



"Once the economy really starts to turn around, we don't know if the labor pool is there."



Waller said Licking County's work force has a reputation for its strong work ethic and that local educational resources, such as the Licking County Joint Vocational School, do a good job in preparing young workers for real-world jobs.



Local manufacturing officials and economic experts have seen signs of a turnaround in an economy plagued by recession and the uncertainty of war, according to the latest newsletter from the Newark & Licking County Chamber of Commerce. They expect the local economy's inevitable rebound to be as dramatic as its decline, the letter stated.



"Discussion among executive committee members of the Manufacturers Council (of the Chamber) centered on the movement from 'steady as she goes' to 'it's really looking better,' as far as booking business in coming months is concerned," the newsletter read.



Waller said he is concerned that employees once laid off by Modern Welding and other companies will not be there when the company is ready to increase staffing levels.



However, recent layoffs at companies who recently announced local plant closures, such as Relizon, Dayton Precision and Owens Corning, have given other area manufacturers enough workers to choose from when they begin planning for larger workloads, said Thom Catlett. He's an account executive with the Licking County branch of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.



"There's a lot of people laid off right now," Catlett said. "I don't think there is going to be a big problem finding people."



Of the 115 job orders to the department from local employers, just 12 of those are manufacturing-related, but Catlett expects that number to increase now that the U.S.-led war with Iraq comes to a close.



He said the industrial sector began to show signs of strength before war broke out but fizzled once the war started.



Now, the stock market is starting to enjoy more consistent positive activity, and the local job market will soon follow, Catlett said.



"I've been doing this for 15 years ... (and) there's always been hills and valleys," he said.



Reporter David Gilligan can be reached at 328-8543 or dgilligan@nncogannett.com



Originally published Wednesday, April 23, 2003









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