ENTERPRISE – Job-seekers in Wallowa County could begin experiencing longer waits for certain training-related services offered through the local WorkSource Oregon Center, a result of a staff cut due to reduced funding.

Teri Simonis, executive director of the Training and Employment Consortium (TEC) for Wallowa, Union and Baker counties, said TEC now has only one person, a full-time employee, working in the Enterprise office after eliminating a half-time position there on July 1.

As local tourism begins to taper off with the cooling weather, area unemployment should soon begin its seasonal rise, increasing the demand for TEC’s services. Simonis concedes that TEC’s remaining staff member here already had her hands full keeping pace with client needs during the summer months. Winter figures to pose a greater challenge.

TEC, the contracted provider of services here funded under the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA), aids job-seekers in sizing up the employment market and in choosing careers. TEC also identifies training opportunities and helps its clients apply for financial aid.

In addition to housing TEC, WorkSource Oregon Centers are home to operations of the Oregon Employment Department, whose services are designed to fit seamlessly with TEC’s. Simonis and other officials connected with the Enterprise center said its employment department side didn’t recently cut staff, so services in that area shouldn’t be affected.

As recently as a decade ago, the TEC side had three full-time positions, Simonis said. Since then, repeated funding reductions have dropped the staffing level three times – first to two full-time positions, next to a position-and-a-half, and now to the one full-timer.

Despite the latest cut, Simonis indicated the operation is still performing smoothly. “The Wallowa County office is very focused on customer service,” she said.

The office has less money than it did last year to provide scholarships for training, however. According to Simonis, the office currently has approximately $3,000 for scholarships, down from $7,100 last year. She said there’s a chance that this year’s scholarship funds total could still grow.

WorkSource Oregon’s most recently released employment figures for Wallowa County cover August 2011 and show a civilian workforce of 4,014, including 3,680 employed and 334 unemployed for an uemployment rate of 8.3 percent. The corresponding figures for July were 3,942 in the workforce, 3,606 employed, 336 unemployed, and an 8.5-percent unemployment rate. August 2010 – the year-ago comparison month – had 8.6-percent unemployment with 351 people out of work, 3,730 employed, and a workforce of 4,081 people.