Kenny Barker, age 59, has sorted recyclables for the last six and a half months at the Southern Recycling Center in Carbondale. He took the job after an 18-month stretch of unemployment; he was laid off from his previous occupation as a van driver for the railroad.
Barker said his job has become even more important to him, not just because it’s his only source of income (25 hours a week), but it’s also a distraction from the recent loss of his wife Linda Barker who died July 23.
“I keep my mind on my work,” he said. “If I don’t, I start to break down.”
Barker, along with his fellow workers, is an example of how the economic crisis has caused hard times throughout the country.
Many seek any type of work, even those qualified for more skilled positions take what they can find simply to pay the bills.
Working alongside Barker is 27-year-old Taylor Neuenschwander. He has worked for Southern Recycling for two months and was previously a sales associate at Macy’s. He said he was looking for a job in retail, but couldn’t find an employer.
“The retail business took a major dip. This was a last-minute job,” he said about his employment at the recycling center.
Richard Reitenbach, a friend of Neuenschwander, is a 21-year-old junior in political science and economics. He has worked alongside Neuenschwander for one and a half months sorting recycling.
He said he took the job as a way to get by while hoping for a better job.
According to The Board of Labor Statistics Web site, Illinois’ unemployment for August is at 10 percent with a mass lay-off statistic of 7,432 claims. This shows a generally static growth in unemployment and a dramatic drop in mass layoff claims since March.
However, with national economists offering contrasting opinions on whether the nation has seen the worst of the recession, it cannot be assumed these numbers represent a trend.
But, it is often seen that the southern Illinois region falls somewhat behind the trends of the nation, or even the northern half of the state, with recovery probably coming at a later date than the rest.
