People are still moving to the heart of the Lone Star State, said Jerry Haisler, director at Work Force Solutions of Central Texas.
“What we have balancing against unemployment is population growth, and what’s coming along with that population growth is business growth,” Haisler said. “You’ve got a lot of commercial development going on all over this region, and certainly in Temple you just look around and see that.”
An example of that commercial development, Haisler said, is two major projects - a new Toyota customizing facility under construction at the North Temple Industrial Park, and Panda Energy’s 1,000-megawatt power plant, which is planned for Southeast Temple. Between construction and operation phases, both projects would bring hundreds of jobs to the Temple area.
Haisler said unemployment in the area might increase slightly when the next report comes out in a few weeks. Most of that increase would likely be the result of the Alcoa Co. closing its Rockdale smelter. More than 600 people are expected to lose their jobs.
Other than that, Haisler believes Bell County is in relatively good shape.
Over on Scott Boulevard in South Temple, dump trucks are busy rolling into a hotel construction site - Candlewood Suites. Construction superintendent Conrad Fris said he has 40 different contractor jobs to fill - from painters and plumbers to surveyors and fence builders. Fris has worked in construction jobs in Denver and Chicago. Compared to other states, he says the economy in Texas is unbelievable.
“Everywhere I’ve been (in Texas) it’s been a constant construction phase,” Fris said. “And the city of Temple is a pleasure to work with. They’re top drawer.”
According to the TWC unemployment report, leisure and hospitality jobs increased by 1,600 last month. More jobs from that sector will be added in May 2009 when the Candlewood Suites opens. And right now, just across the street at the Hilton Garden Inn, manager Eyal Kaczur said they are hiring.
Of course, some factors outside of Temple could play a role. The parent company of Wilsonart International, which employs more than 1,000 people here, announced in August that its interest in the company was for sale. As of Friday the company had not announced any layoffs.
According to TWC chairman Tom Pauken, Hurricane Ike had a major impact on the state’s unemployment claims, swelling them by nearly 300 percent last month.
