Hundreds apply for jobs despite unemployment drop

More than 200 people showed up to a job fair at the Lamb Weston plant in American Falls on Tuesday.

But, Lamb Weston is only looking to hire 30 people.

The huge response comes as no surprise as Double L Manufacturing and Simplot both announced closures in the area recently.

Those 200 people looking for work becomes even more notable when considering that Power County’s unemployment rate went down from 10 to 8.6 percent this April. The long-lasting effects of the recession have drawn workers from all over the area.

If Richard Scherbel’s foot looked nervous bobbing rapidly at the Lamb Weston plant, it is because he’s trying to make a major life change. After working with the military in Japan and managing a trailer park in Blackfoot, he’s hoping to get into human resources with Lamb Weston by working from the bottom up.

“It’s nice to see that in Idaho, we’re starting to expand and be able to offer more opportunities to those people that are hurting right now,” Scherbel said.

Human Resource Manager Varon Blackburn came from out of town to work for Lamb Weston, too, so it made sense to him that Tuesday’s job fair drew people from all over in such high numbers.

“It’s pretty exciting, it’s kind of like hitting a home run — the first time we’ve done anything like this, we’ve hit the ball out of the park,” Blackburn said.

Department of Labor Regional Economist Dan Cravens said the high response and lowering unemployment is a good sign that the area is pulling out of the recession.

“I think there’s a lot of people who are under employed. They’re not employed in the kind of jobs that are providing them the kind of wages and opportunities they want, and I think there are a lot of people who are shopping,” Cravens said.

Scherbel said he’s just happy to have a chance.

“The opportunity to be here and try is what I look forward to,” he said.

The company can also boast longevity for its prospective employees, the first hire at the American Falls plant in 1961 is still working there today.

Lamb Weston made around 10 job offers by the end of the fair, and Blackburn said people can still apply online.