Local company attempts to help the unemployed have a happy holiday

Texas' unemployment rate is more than 1 percent lower than the national average, but more than 800,000 Texans are currently out of work.

With the holidays approaching, the urgency to find a job picks up. This has led one local company to hold a Pay it Forward job fair, where unemployed Texans are hired by companies from Dec. 10-16.

"What this is about is trying to get 1,000 unemployed people in DFW work for just one week," said Daniel Boehm, owner of two Express Employment Professionals franchises in Plano. "This is not about the job itself; it is about getting people a job so they can have a paycheck for Christmas."

The idea was spawned last year by an Express Employment Professionals office in Tyler. Due to its success, it was taken nationwide this year. While the final results are not in, Boehm said he has received positive feedback so far. He said his goal is to get jobs for at least 100 people in Collin County.

"Our clients are able to fulfill a need and relieve some of the pressure on their staff since there have been a lot of layoffs and a lot of people take vacation at the end of the year," he said. "The jobs have to be something that doesn't require much training, so we have a lot of warehouse and administrative jobs that are being filled."

Boehm said for each person that receives a job in Collin County, his company will donate $10 to CASA of Collin County in support of their efforts to help abused and neglected children in the foster care system.

Unemployed workers have another option as UPS has announced its plans to hire 2,100 workers in DFW in order to help prepare for the increase in packages it sees around Christmas.

"Our seasonal employees are an integral part of UPS's holiday shipping plan," said Georgina Bane, UPS's human resources operations manager, in a release. "We're looking for hard-working and enthusiastic people who can help make this holiday season a success. We are specifically looking for employees in the Plano, Frisco, Richardson, Allen and McKinney areas; however, positions are available across the Metroplex."

For information on the Pay it Forward job fair, visit expresspros.com or call 972-423-1112. To apply for a job at UPS, visit upsjobs.com.

For continued coverage of local news, follow @Bill_PlanoStar on Twitter.

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