By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis visited Workforce Central Florida in Kissimmee Sept. 9 to view operations and listen to stories of unemployed residents looking for jobs.

Stories like that of Kissimmee resident Denell James, who rides his bicycle eight hours a day looking for work and spends three days a week at Workforce Central Florida filling out online applications for jobs in hotels, restaurants and retail stores.

James, 25, was laid off last month from Furniture 1 on Orange Blossom Trail in Kissimmee because the business needed to save money.

“I’d like any type of job I’m qualified for,” he said as he filled out another online application.

At 12.4 percent, Osceola County in July had the third highest unemployment rate in Central Florida, according to the latest report from Florida’s Agency for Workforce Innovation. It’s higher than the state’s average of 12 percent and higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.7 percent.

More than two thousand people visit the Kissimmee Workforce office every month, according to Kim Sullivan, community relations director for the agency.

“A lot of individuals are frustrated they aren’t finding a job right away,” Solis said after she toured the employment and training center. “A lot of people have been hit hard in construction and in the trades. It’s about matching up the right skill set.”

Solis pointed to stimulus money and tax breaks for businesses that hire veterans as ways the state can open more jobs and employ more people.

“It’s a good sign of growth for Florida. Not all that money has hit the ground yet,” she said. “I’m happy to see more economic activity going on in this part of Florida. I think we’re seeing a comeback.”

Projects such as the proposed high-speed railway keeps Solis encouraged about job development in the area.

“You’re looking at a long-term project that will create jobs,” she said.

Solis was in Central Florida accepting the first annual Farmworker Fighter of the Year award from the Florida chapter of the National Farmworker Jobs Program. Solis worked to open programs for migrant families to receive job training.

“She’s proactive. She’s the first (Department of Labor) secretary in my memory with farm workers on her radar,” Linda Grisham, of the Florida Farmworker Jobs and Education Program, said.

Solis met with three daughters of migrant farm workers at the Kissimmee Workforce office who told her how the job training programs changed their lives, helping them attend college and earn master’s degrees.

“It was a beautiful experience to be able to hear their stories,” Solis said.