Monday’s Mountain Press, Sevier County’s local newspaper, reported in a headline article that the county’s unemployment rate hit 9.7% in February, the highest seen since 2005. The rest of the story that you have to read well past the continuation to get to is that this time of year is always the highest period of unemployment in Sevier County. This is because several tourism dependent businesses close down during during February to give their employees time off as this is normally the low point of the tourism market. What is not mentioned in the article is that there are many businesses hiring 16 year olds and even 15 year olds to fill positions that cannot otherwise be filled. Additionally, several businesses are even during this slow period offering signing bonuses and are aggressively searching for potential employees.

The bottom line is that many of Sevier County’s residents expect not to work at this time of year and actually enjoy the time off. While I’m sure that there are those who aren’t working at the job they would like anyone who wants a job is able to find one without too much effort. I guess some jobs are beneath some people but if it’s my family’s meals that are in question I wouldn’t let ANY time go by that I didn’t have a job. We are grateful to God that we do have wonderful jobs that we love and each morning I try to remember to count my blessings as I start my day. If you would like to make our jobs even more pleasant, please contact us for assistance in buying or selling Sevier County real estate. If you are one of the county’s unemployed residents, I suggest that you drive up and down the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, or Sevierville parkway and stop at any of the businesses you see. Most would love to find some prospective employees who will show up on time and work hard for their pay.