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Tampa Job Fair Caters To The Haves, Have Nots

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By NEIL JOHNSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 22, 2008

TAMPA - No one needs to tell Manuel Olivero that times are tough.

The teacher from New Jersey has spent nearly five months looking for work since moving to Tampa.

On Monday, he was among the hundreds of people who stopped at the St. Pete Times Forum early in the day to visit with the roughly 45 companies looking for workers at a job fair.

The St. Petersburg Times puts on the job fair about four times a year, said Dave Labell of the newspaper's promotions department.

The job fairs usually draw 3,000 to 4,000 people, and this one was on track to see the same amount, Labell said. A different mix of companies for each fair makes it difficult to tell whether the tight economy is bringing more people to the events.

Companies at the fair range from fast-food restaurants to financial and telemarketing firms.

People attending can have resumes evaluated for free.

The unemployment rate in the Tampa Bay area is 5.9 percent, a shade higher than the 5.5 percent nationally.

Olivero is well aware of the lack of employment. He didn't get much hope from his visit to the job fair.

"What I think is that it is a place to give information about the companies," he said.

Though he's certified to teach in New Jersey, he must be certified for Florida before he can get a job here. That has led to a tangle of red tape.

"There's been a lot of paperwork," he said.

He will take a test for certification in August.

His unsuccessful hunt for work led him to apply for retail positions in Tampa and Orlando.

"They always say thank you for applying, and you never hear from them," he said.

Olivero, 49, can't afford to wait for a teaching certificate and is willing to move where he can find work.

"I'll take any kind of job. I can do anything," he said.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

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