It's Becoming Less of a Job to Find One; Area Labor Surplus Turning Into a Shortage as Economy Improves
This summer marked a turning point for Margo Bothwell - and for many of the Washington area's job seekers.</br></br>In June, after years of financial struggle in retailing jobs with no health insurance, the 32-year-old mother landed a permanent job that offers good pay, good benefits and a future.</br></br>Bothwell's good fortune was part of what Washington area employers say is a general trend. As the economy has improved and unemployment has declined, what once was a job shortage is beginning to look more like a labor shortage.</br></br>Temporary employees such as Bothwell are finding permanent jobs, part-timers are moving into full-time work and employers are finding it more and more difficult to fill vacancies.</br></br>"Fortunately it's not to a critical point yet," said Joseph C. Culver, senior vice president for personnel and services at Woodward & Lothrop Inc. "But it's getting more difficult. In some cases it's taking longer to fill jobs. In other cases, we're having to interview more candidates" because the large pool of highly qualified would-be workers has dried up, he said.