Laboring through

Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series on how the recession is affecting the Newport-Mesa area. Part two will appear next Tuesday.

On a hot afternoon last week, a handful of young adults congregated for a class at Youth Employment Service in Costa Mesa. The scene had an air of high school — men and women seated in cliques, an inspirational quote from Maya Angelou taped to the window. The subject, though, was how to land a job, and the students listened attentively as the teacher launched into her lesson.

“I’m Robin Whitman. I have a background in retail and merchandising, and I most recently worked for a franchising company, helping them to open new stores,” began the tall, blond woman leading the class for the first time.

Then, a moment later, she leveled with the young job-seekers.

“I was laid off recently after working for them five years. So everything I’m talking about today is very near and dear to my heart.”

She served as the merchandising director for the ergonomic furniture company Relax the Back until she was laid off in November.

Whitman, a Huntington Beach resident, is one of many in the Newport-Mesa community who are out of work as job statistics continue to plummet statewide. Like many, she’s using her free time to help others — without pay. In between networking and sending out resumes, Whitman is teaching young people about a subject she knows well: the agonies of landing a job in an unsteady market.

“I don’t have a lot of money right now, so this is a way for me to give back my time,” Whitman said. “This is a group of people that needs my skills, and that makes me feel good.”

A large number of people may need Whitman’s skills right now. The state Employment Development Department announced in late August that the unemployment had risen to 11.9% in California, up from 7.3% a year ago. The department lists Costa Mesa’s unemployment rate at 8.5% and Newport Beach’s at 6%, although a spokeswoman said the numbers were estimates based on census data.

Still, the overseers of Youth Employment Service and other nonprofits around town don’t need statistics to tell them that much of Newport-Mesa is in a bind. In the last few months, charities have seen demand increase for their services, and, in some cases, supplies diminish, as usually reliable donors have not come through with their usual contributions.