May 2008 Declared “Workforce Development Professionals Month”

Palm Beach County Commissioner Jess Santamaria and Workforce Alliance President and CEO, Kathryn Schmidt

May 19, 2008

May 2008 Declared “Workforce Development Professionals Month” in Palm Beach County

West Palm Beach, FL, May 19, 2008 -- The Palm Beach Board of County Commissioners proclaimed the month of May 2008 to be “Workforce Development Professionals Month” in Palm Beach County. County Commissioner Jess Santamaria presented the official proclamation to Workforce Alliance President and Chief Executive Officer, Kathryn Schmidt.

After receiving the proclamation, Ms. Schmidt sent a message to all 140 employees of Workforce Alliance stating: “I would like to congratulate all Workforce Alliance staff members upon receiving this recognition since it stands as a public expression of gratitude from the leadership of Palm Beach County for the dedicated services of all workforce development professionals here in Region 21 of the State of Florida.

“The proclamation, signed by all seven members of the Board of County Commissioners, gives each of you well-deserved recognition for the important role that you, as Workforce Development Professionals, fulfill in the economic development of our County.”

She added, “As stated in the proclamation, job seekers need the assistance of knowledgeable and dedicated professionals to assist them toward employment and self-sufficiency; and employers depend on a wide array of services from knowledgeable and dedicated professionals to help them recruit and retain a competitive workforce. These are your important roles, and you perform them well! Thank you.”

Workforce Alliance is the non-profit company chartered by the State of Florida to develop and manage a workforce system in Palm Beach County. It operates three Career Centers and Professional Placement Centers and offers its professional services to all employers and job seekers in the County.

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Latest Unemployment Data for PB County

The unemployment rate in Palm Beach County was 12.5 percent in January 2010, up 0.7 percentage points from the previous month’s rate of 11.7 percent, and 3.5 percentage points above the County’s rate of one year ago, which was 9.0 percent. Out of a labor force of 613,156 in Palm Beach County, there were 76,461 unemployed residents.
The County’s unemployment rate was 0.3 percent higher than the State of Florida’s rate of 12.2 percent in January 2010, and higher than the United States’ rate of 10.6 percent in the month.
The only industries that gained jobs in the County over the past year were private education and health services, which gained 600 jobs during the 12-month period.
Job losses during the past year were greatest in construction (- 6,500 jobs). Other industries losing jobs included: leisure and hospitality (- 6,000 jobs); retail and wholesale trade (- 4,000 jobs); financial activities (- 3,200 jobs); manufacturing (- 1,900 jobs); and information (- 1,000 jobs).

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