McAllister’s Deli kitchen worker Nathan Wilcome cleans off the pick-up window after the lunch rush Friday at the restaurant. In back are McAllister’s employees Aaron Cohen, a Kansas University senior from Dallas, left, and Fausto Garcia, Lawrence. Before opening in November, the deli handed out more than 1,000 job applications and interviewed more than 400 people for 100 open positions.

McAllister's Deli cashier Jennifer Werbin hands a pen to Lawrence resident Stephanie Gardner as Gardner and friend Stefanie Sissoko, Lawrence, pay at the counter Friday, April 24, 2009 at the restaurant. Before their opening in November, the Deli handed out over 1000 job applications and interviewed over 400 people for 100 open positions.

McAllister's Deli server Chelsea Brooks, a Kansas University senior from Canby, Oregon, works to assemble a to-go order outside the pick-up window Friday, April 24, 2009 at the restaurant. Before their opening in November, the Deli handed out over 1000 job applications and interviewed over 400 people for 100 open positions.

This month, McAllister’s Deli handed out so many job applications that it ran out.

And before the store at 2108 W. 27th St. opened in November, more than 1,000 applications were given out for a little more than a 100 job openings.

“It seems like a lot of people we hire now truly want a job, need a job to make money and really want to work, which is amazing,” said Field Dellett, general manager.

In hard economic times, good help can be easy to come by.

From fast-food servers to substitute teachers, businesses are seeing a ready supply of applicants for the few jobs that open in Lawrence.

“We have more candidates than we do jobs,” said Maria Cook, a regional manager for Kelly Services.

The staffing agency is seeing double the number of applicants it did a year ago, Cook said. Many of them have been laid off and are looking for any work, even if the job pays half as much or requires traveling farther.

“I feel horrible,” Cook said. “People walk in and I have to say, ‘I’m really sorry, but I don’t have anything for you. That could change tomorrow, but I don’t have anything today.'”

Job market tight

In Kansas — as is true for the rest of the country — job openings are down and unemployment is up. Competition has increased for even the entry-level, lower-wage jobs.

For March, unemployment was at 6.5 percent, up from 4.2 percent in March 2008, said Inayat Noormohmad, director of labor market information services for the Kansas Department of Labor.

Noormohmad also pointed to data from The Conference Board, which examines and disseminates information about management and the marketplace, that showed online job advertisements for Kansas dropped 30 percent in the past year.

While jobs are available in Lawrence, the market is “definitely more competitive,” said Cheryl White, of the Lawrence Workforce Center.

Not all sectors of the Kansas economy have seen a shrinking work force. For accommodations and food services, there was a modest increase in jobs from last year. And, compared with February, jobs in the retail sector jumped.

The worst-hit sector was in manufacturing, where Kansas lost 13,500 jobs in the past year.

Eudora resident Robin Bartekoske was among the ranks of the unemployed. She applied for more than 400 jobs in six months.

The former press operator and warehouse worker was willing to venture outside her field, going so far as to apply for a job as an animal enforcement officer.

Last week, Bartekoske finally landed a job as a quality shipping inspector for a Lenexa company that makes dyes.

It’s a lower wage than what she’s used to and a shift she’d rather not have. But after her husband was laid off, this didn’t seem like the time to be picky.

“I’m not in a position where I can refuse,” she said.

Ready supply of workers

Across Lawrence, businesses are reporting an uptick in applicants, many with better qualifications than in years past.

At Vangent Inc., one of Lawrence’s largest private employers, human resources and site manager Mark Andrews has noticed a “higher quality of applicant” in the past few classes of new employees. The call center, which doesn’t have any openings, also has seen a lower turnover rate.

For Lawrence public schools, the substitute teacher pool is closed to any new applicants. There are 224 names on the list. Last year, the school district had fewer than 200 available substitute teachers, said David Cunningham, the division director of human resources, certified.

When companies do have openings, they can be more selective, said Barry Kingery, a staffing consultant for Express Personnel Services.

Just this week, Kingery had a client who after being laid off from a management-level job in the financial industry was willing to step down to take a position with a more administrative role.

“That attitude is definitely out there that any job right now is better than no job. And people are thinking twice about things they may not have considered in the past,” Kingery said.