Kate Rollin is determined to fill her long held dream of being underemployed. Tired of unemployment she seeks to better herself and her family through any menial, even degrading, work for minimum wage.

Typical of the Tampa Bay workforce Kate is an eager worker, cheerful and determined. Since being laid off a year and a half ago she has set aside the distractions of most needs, luxuries and seeks employment to at least pay her monthly utility bills. Her new minimalist philosophy towards work has been reinforced by the recent job loss of her husband Ron.

Kate was a systems analyst, Ron was a financial advisor. Both are the type of young educated worker we have ached to attract to Tampa Bay. College educated young and carefree they threw themselves into the South Tampa scene after over paying for their home, running up credit debt, and buying the uniform of Gucci and Bar Harry.

“I used to be upset if we were not going to the right restaurants, driving a new car each year. Now I just want any paycheck to keep food on the table and maybe keep the house.” wisps Kate. Ron feels that they “Should have been looking at where we live, what we were doing. We blew every opportunity moving here and becoming stranded.”

The Rolin’s suggest they will have to abandon their home in weeks if they are not fortunate enough to become one of the few who get the opportunity for underemployment.

“With so many people loosing their jobs now, there was never but a limited amount of good jobs in this town before but now it is horrible and we have this oppressive mortgage. The only hope we have in Tampa is for underemployment and only a few get that. We can not afford to stay here but we can not afford to move.” shouts Kate.

The University of South Tampa reports underemployment is at an estimated 25-30% rate in Tampa Bay. Added to the existing 11.7% unemployment this totals to a stunning number of people failing in this economy. While there is no hard tracking data provided on underemployment by the government the University does provide estimates of its growth to 35-40% in the next two years as commission and tip earners suffer the economy and the dwindling population offers less customers.

Don Ashton of the Greater Tampa Bay Chamber Partnership when presented with this report stated “So what?”