250,000 apply for 3,000 temp jobs

Welcome to the Bush Economy!

According to an article in today's LA Times, up to 250,000 applications were mailed in for 3,000 temporary longshore jobs at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.  Of course the reason for this is because of the flood of cheap imports to supply places like Walmart.  On the TV news this morning someone was quoted as saying that this was the only place that was hiring other than Walmart.

From the article:

The 3,000 slots, which are being offered to help handle a record amount of cargo coming through the ports, will pay $20.66 to $28 an hour -- substantially higher than the average $8.38-an-hour entry-level wage in Los Angeles County. On Friday, the state reported that California's employers cut a net 17,300 jobs in July, illustrating how cautious many businesses remain when it comes to hiring.

"It's very rare in this economy, particularly for non-college-educated positions," to be so lucrative, said Michael Mische, a principal at WCL Consulting Co. of Long Beach and an adjunct professor of management at the USC Marshall School of Business. "These are highly desirable jobs, with the opportunity of becoming skilled in a vocation" that could lead to better things down the road.