May 28--FARMINGTON -- Insulated as San Juan County is, it's the exception to many national trends.

But even San Juan County is feeling the effects of a struggling economy.

San Juan College career services director Marie Schumacher said employers are contacting her office for workers at a considerably reduced rate.

That doesn't mean, however, that legions of local companies are going under. They're just apprehensive about hiring until they're convinced the economy is back on the right track.

"I think the companies are just holding their breath, so to speak, until they see what our future is going to be like," Schumacher said.

Farmington Chamber of Commerce director Dorothy Nobis agrees.

"I think, given the economy, most businesses are waiting it out to see what happens," she said.

Business owners may not have a feel for the economy's effects until the end of the summer, Nobis said.

The wait-and-see approach also is being employed by oil and natural gas companies. New Mexico's extraction industry soared in 2008, booming as commodity prices reached record highs.

As oil prices began to decline, local oil and natural gas companies were forced to cut jobs. The industry has lost 900 jobs statewide in the past year, according to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions.

That doesn't necessarily mean the oil and natural gas companies aren't hiring. They're just not hiring as quickly.

"They used to gobble them up before they'd even finish the

program," said Randy Pacheco, dean of the San Juan College School of Energy.

Pacheco said many of the energy school's recent graduates have found jobs. The process just took longer than normal.

"It's a little bit slow, but a lot of our students are placed," he said.

The work force department reports that about 700 organizations in the Farmington metropolitan area employ more than 50,000 workers. The average San Juan County employee is paid a little more than $34,000 a year.

The

Resources for job-seekers

New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions http://dws.state.nm.us Local offices: 600 W. Arrington Street Farmington, NM 87401 (505) 327-6126

3535 E. 30th Street Suite 129 Farmington, NM 87402 (505) 566-5800

San Juan College Career Services http://www.sanjuancollege.edu/careerservices (505) 566-3423

University of New Mexico Career Services http://career.unm.edu (505) 277-2531

New Mexico State University Career Services http://careerservices.nmsu.edu (575) 646-1631

San Juan College Community Learning Center Career transition classes begin June 3, July 8 and Aug.