Portales unemployment office closes

The closing of the Portales New Mexico Workforce Connection office will put the unemployed in the area at a disadvantage because the nearest office will be in Clovis, according to Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce Director Karl Terry.

"I see that it's going to really hurt the population that is least able to make that trip to Clovis to get back into the workforce," Terry said.

The office, which is housed inside the chamber of commerce, will close March 29, according to John Hemphill, New Mexico Workforce Connection director of workforce development for the eastern side of the state.

"The individual that was manning that office has relocated to another state and due to budget concerns, we could not fill that position," Hemphill said.

Hemphill said the office provided assistance with job searching, resume building and a host of other free employment related services through state funds. He said many of those resources can are available online and those who are interested in workforce trainings will have access to the Clovis office.

Roosevelt County has a 6.8 percent unemployment rate, .03 percent higher that the statewide rate, according to a January report published by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions.

"The traffic flow (to the office in Portales) was minimal to begin with," Hemphill said. "We hope it doesn't have a negative impact on the community."

But Terry argues that those who he witnessed use the services in Portales may not have transportation to Clovis. He added that some have no access to the Internet, and if they did, were not Internet-savvy enough to use it on their own.

"Just from being in the same building with them, a lot of the people that come for assistance are here because they don't have the means or the education to correspond online with the programs they need to be working with," Terry said. "There's been someone here that guides them and teaches them to do the stuff online. That won't be available to them if they walk into the public library or a friend or relative's house."

Terry said employers also had a need for the office in Portales because local businesses took advantage of it by finding skilled workers through the office.

Terry said the layoffs at Sunland Inc. had an immediate impact on the surge of people that came through those doors. He said the same for when a local ethanol plant closed, proving that the office has been used when people have a need for it.

"If they fall out, at that point it causes a drain in the long run for those who can't be brought back in the workforce," Terry said.

Laura Wyche, site manager of the Clovis office who also oversees the Portales office, said she doesn't think there will be much of an impact with that office closing down.

"We're kind of the hub of matching job seekers with employers to match both of their needs," Wyche said.

She said case managers will still be able to conduct trainings for employers or organizations in Portales if requested.

She also feels they have enough staff to take any overflow of people coming from Portales.

"We have capabilities to do group orientations and we have employment representative and case managers here," Wyche said. "There's always going to be someone here available. I don't foresee any problems."