EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK:
Many Fort Hood Area Employers Hiring in
2013 - Seekers Just Need to Show Initiative
Source: Killeen Daily Herald

The jobs are out there; it’s just a matter of being proactive.

At least, that seems to be the consensus of area employers who say the Killeen-Fort Hood employment market is robust.

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics latest report, unemployment is at 7.8 percent nationally. The Texas Workforce Commission’s latest numbers show that Texas is doing even better, with an unemployment rate of 6.3 percent. Unfortunately, the unemployment rate is higher than that in the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area, at 7 percent. But a quick look at the numbers reveal there are plenty of opportunities.

“The jobs are absolutely out there if you look,” said Kimberly Patterson, business services manager at Workforce Solutions of Central Texas. “In general, we were never hit as hard as the rest of the country, but a lot of opportunities have emerged recently. ... It takes some effort, ... but I believe there is a job for everyone out there.”

Patterson said the education, office and administrative and health care sectors are fueling the growth.
“Twenty percent of the job postings currently in our system are education related,” she said.

“Right now, we have 45 jobs open just between our Fort Hood campus and our main campus,” said Narja Carter, human resources recruiting supervisor at CTC. “The biggest thing we need is adjunct faculty. We need instructors. We also offer online classes, so we have online instructor positions as well. There are also a lot of clerical and support positions currently open.”

“Our next biggest sector right now is health care, which comprises 13 percent of the jobs we currently have listed,” said Patterson.

There also seems to be a robust market for administrative support jobs. Sixteen percent of the jobs currently listed at Workforce Solutions of Central Texas are for office support. Aegis Communications, one of the biggest local employers in that category, has hired 1,200 people since July, according to Susan Parkhill, site director at Aegis’ Killeen office. Aegis provides call center services for several large clients.

Patterson said restaurants and retail chains often have their own systems to recruit, so interested job seekers need to seek those jobs out personally.

Jeff Powell, owner of Razzoo’s in Harker Heights, agreed. He said Razzoo’s depends a lot on word of mouth and reputation to attract new employees. But for those interested in applying he offered some simple advice.

“It might be a generational thing, but it can get frustrating to get so many online inquiries,” Powell said. “Don’t rely so much on the ease of applying online. Get yourself together, walk in physically, shake a hand and say, ‘I’d like to work here.’”

More opportunities are on the horizon.

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