Due to the economic recession, the number of job seekers who come to Chinatown’s employment services has noticeably increased. They include not only new immigrants, but also those who got laid off recently. As the financial industry took a downturn, manufacturing, the garment industry, retail stores, transportation and other industries also have been directly or indirectly affected. In the past, job seekers searched for menial labor, but now they are looking jobs requiring educated and specialized skills.

The Chinatown Human Resources Center provides employment training, English-language lessons, and help with job searches. Philip Nguyen, who is responsible for adult education at the center, said that since October there has been a noticeable increase in the number of people who need help finding a job. Compared to last year, there has been a 20 percent increase. In past years, a few people would come by each day looking for help, but now at least 10 people stop by daily, including those who recently got laid off. Eighty percent of the job seekers are non-English speaking new immigrants. They mostly look for jobs in cleaning services, hotel services, construction, and household management. The other 20 percent of the job seekers are looking for office work, such as accounting, library services, and other office works.

The Organization of Chinese Americans, which started training in 2007, is the biggest job training organization in the Chinatown area. Cindy Liu, a spokesperson for the organization, said that since October the number of job seekers has increased by 20 percent and they expect the numbers to keep growing in the next few months.

At the organization, job seekers are offered a series of services, including English proficiency evaluation, job skills evaluation, resume help, job search and interview tips. Staff members can also revise resumes and help with the job search and is planning to organize a job fair that focuses on employment opportunities for Chinese. It also provides help with the application for food stamps, Medicaid, and affordable housing, which, due to the recession, the number of people applying for these benefits has also increased. Since non-profit organizations also face budget constraints due to cuts in government spending, these job training programs inevitably have to be offered for a fee.