Unemployment rate decreases in Downey while 4,500 residents are jobless

Downey’s unemployment rate has decreased to 8.3 percent from 8.8 percent the previous year according to a preliminary report published in February 2013, by the state of California Employment Development Department and Labor Market Information Division.

Over the last two years the unemployment rate for the city of Downey has dropped 1.6 percent. In 2011, Downey’s unemployment rate was 9.9 percent with 5,300 people out of work.

While the city is reviving the Downtown Downey area with the new Downey Gateway restaurants and shops which brought in a hundred jobs.

There are approximately 4,500 unemployed residents in Downey according to the report. This number has decreased over the past few years.

Erin Morfin, resident of Downey has been unemployed since 2010 and has been looking for work since April 2011.

“I have retail management experience, food service, customer service and online gaming and etc.,” she said.

Morfin is currently looking for a medical assisting position and any position that she has experience in.

When thinking about what she would tell business owners and city officials about job creation for people in the city of Downey.

She said, “Not a clue. My experience is in retail and online games. If there are no customers to serve, then there is no funding to pay people.”

In search of a job, she said she has been attending job fairs, recruitments, applying online and networking.

The city does have a large project in the works that will create jobs. The Tierra Luna Marketplace that will be breaking ground next to the Downey Landing shopping center is expected to bring about 3,000 jobs to Downey. The project is several years away from being completed.

The average unemployment rate for the Los Angeles County area is 10.3 percent.