WHEN Rob Mihailovic came to Orange from Leeton to take up a job with the Department of Trade and Investment he had already watched people deal with redundancy when the Murrumbidgee College of Agriculture shut down.
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Yesterday at the Central West Job Summit, hosted by Unions NSW, he relived his own experience of being handed a redundancy in Orange last year.
“Some people in Leeton were offered jobs and came to Orange but the majority were offered redundancies,” he said.
Not wanting to retire from the workforce he has made the decision to move to Albury Wodonga.
“There are more job opportunities down there. Where are the jobs going to come from if I stay in Orange?” he said.
Since being handed a redundancy last year Mr Mihailovic has tried to keep busy by volunteering at the hospital.
Australian Workers Union delegate John Davis, who works at Electrolux alongside his son-in-law, was emotional as he spoke at yesterday’s summit, saying there was already a jobs crisis in Orange.
“I have a son who worked installing computers in schools as they rolled out their system. Now that’s finished he has no job,” he said.
He says his son applies for 20 to 30 jobs a week with no success, and most employers don’t even acknowledge applications.
“It is very demoralising for young people and it’s sad prospective employers treat them this way.”
With jobs drying up in retail, Mr Davis says there will be less opportunities.
However, Unions NSW secretary Mark Lennon said, despite the challenges of job creation, he believed the future remains positive for Orange and the Central West.
janice.harris@fairfaxmedia.com.au
