AURORA, Colo.—A department store opening in Aurora seeking to fill 150 positions is being flooded with hundreds of applicants, some of whom say they haven’t been able to find a job in months.
The response to Kohl’s Department Store’s call for applications was so overwhelming that the more than 1,000 applications on its Web site forced its online application system to shut down. Hundreds more arrived in person Monday at the Kohl’s job fair at the DoubleTree Hotel in Aurora.
Kohl’s plans to open a new store in March.
Most of the jobs were part-time and they paid $7 to $12 an hour.
Kohl’s district manager Doug Arnoldi says the response was beyond his expectations.
About 117 jobs were left to the people applying in person. One of the applicant’s, Robbie Gilbert, said he has been living off unemployment for months and has to choose between the bills he’s able to pay.
“It is my first time to try retail work. I’ll try anything,” said Gilbert, whose job as project manager at a utility supply company ended in October.
Shaletha Woodard, 21, said she has previously worked at King Soopers, Home Depot and Wal-Mart but she hasn’t been able to find another retail job this year.
“Things will get better. I’m waiting for that day,” the University of Phoenix student said.
The difficult year for job seekers is reflected in record-setting unemployment figures.
According to state labor officials, 25,000 people filed new unemployment claims in December, topping the previous record of about 21,000 set in October 2001.
The 6,400 claims reported in the week ending Dec. 20 also set a record and experts expect January to eclipse December.
The state’s unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in November, up from 4 percent a year earlier. University of Colorado economists predict the rate will be 6.4 percent in 2009.
Sue Price said she regrets taking off the spring and summer to handle family matters after losing her job of eight years at CompUSA because the job market has changed so much.
“I’ve never had this kind of trouble finding work before,” she said.
The job fair runs through Thursday.
Consumer spending has been dropping, affecting retail stores who are hiring less seasonal workers or closing locations or liquidating. Some of the stores include KB Toys, Linens ‘n Things, and Bombay & Co.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
