By Kathy Ficcadenti

With unemployment rates at 4 percent or below, one might think the Employment Services department at Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph would be on extended vacation. But, nothing could be further from the truth.

“We’re seeing more people at our classes now than we did in the spring,” said Kathy Ficcadenti, director of Employment Services, “plus, we’re dealing with high-risk individuals who are often striving to overcome the challenges of poverty. For this group, landing the job is huge, but equally important, is keeping it.”

This can be difficult for a person locked into generational poverty who might not have been exposed to a good role model with a sound work ethic. A recent poll of the top 100 employers in the St. Joseph area indicated “work ethic” was one of the top deficiencies among current job applicants and yet employers rated this trait most important to their business.

Click here for the full story on the Catholic Charities website.