More bad news on the job front today; unemployment here in Iowa increased again last month. It's now at the highest level since 1986. Last month, 10,000 Iowans lost their jobs, which means more than 100,00 are now out of work. That's fifty percent higher than just one year ago.
It's forcing many people to change how they look for a position, turning to the internet, and the library in droves.
It's a busy Friday afternoon at the downtown Des Moines Public Library. However, most of the people here aren't checking out books. They're cruising the internet, scouring for jobs.
"It seems like these days a lot of people switched to online applications. It doesn't matter if it's Burger King or a corporate job," says job seeker Rick Hamilton.
Johnson just moved from Oregon hoping he would have better luck landing a job here in Iowa. He's a regular here at the library spending countless hours applying for dozens of jobs. Johnson is just one of hundreds of people using the library as a resource to find employment. "Computer usage has gone way up. It's not unusual to have 15 or 16 people in line waiting for a computer," says librarian Joe Hyman.
Librarians like Hyman are helping job seekers use library resources like "Live Homework Help" to polish their resumes.
"It looks like it's for kids, but it does have a component for job searches as well."
That means job seekers like Johnson is able to get live advise from real job experts here at the library, swamping librarians with questions about how to use the computer technology.
"In today's computer age you can't hardly apply for a job without knowing how to use the computer," says Jan Kaiser with the Des Moines Public Library.
So many people are using the computers here, the library's*books are taking a back seat to job searching.
"We're actually getting to the point where our internet and services like job help are just as popular as coming to check out leisure reading."
It's forcing many people to change how they look for a position, turning to the internet, and the library in droves.
It's a busy Friday afternoon at the downtown Des Moines Public Library. However, most of the people here aren't checking out books. They're cruising the internet, scouring for jobs.
"It seems like these days a lot of people switched to online applications. It doesn't matter if it's Burger King or a corporate job," says job seeker Rick Hamilton.
Johnson just moved from Oregon hoping he would have better luck landing a job here in Iowa. He's a regular here at the library spending countless hours applying for dozens of jobs. Johnson is just one of hundreds of people using the library as a resource to find employment. "Computer usage has gone way up. It's not unusual to have 15 or 16 people in line waiting for a computer," says librarian Joe Hyman.
Librarians like Hyman are helping job seekers use library resources like "Live Homework Help" to polish their resumes.
"It looks like it's for kids, but it does have a component for job searches as well."
That means job seekers like Johnson is able to get live advise from real job experts here at the library, swamping librarians with questions about how to use the computer technology.
"In today's computer age you can't hardly apply for a job without knowing how to use the computer," says Jan Kaiser with the Des Moines Public Library.
So many people are using the computers here, the library's*books are taking a back seat to job searching.
"We're actually getting to the point where our internet and services like job help are just as popular as coming to check out leisure reading."
