ORLANDO, Fla. – Universal Orlando recently extended furloughs for more than 5,000 workers.

What You Need To Know

  • Universal recently extended furloughs for workers

  • Sarah Snow, who is furloughed, is hoping to get a call back soon

  • CareerSource is working to help thousands find work

When describing her job, Sarah Snow’s eyes light up like Harry Potter’s magic wand.

“Working for the Wizarding World has been awesome, but I just love theme parks," said Snow who works in a Universal call center. "I get paid to talk about theme parks all day and tell everyone how great the roller coasters are and how fun they are.”

Snow has been at the call center for nearly a year and a half and says this is the first job she has had which she loves.

Now, she’s anxiously waiting and hoping for a call of her own to come back.

“I make a good living doing it, and I get good benefits doing it,” Snow said.

Snow is one of thousands in this situation.​

“We are seeing a lot of people come in to the office who have been laid off or furloughed," CareerSource Sr. Program Manager Janee Olds said. "Hours have been reduced and they are kind of in limbo on what the job outlook looks like.”

Finding part-time work requires a full-time commitment, according to Snow.

“I applied for a part-time job at the Crocs store, and they had like 1,800 applicants for that one job,” Snow said.

With CARES Act Funding, CareerSource is now trying to help more than 4,000 Orange County residents find work or a paid internship. Since the Help is Here program launched in mid-August, only 1,400 have applied.

“We are assisting them and the business to kind of restore our economy a little bit,” Olds said. 

The organization is providing them with opportunities to earn a needed paycheck to help pay bills.

“We are able to pay for that intern’s salary for eight weeks," Olds said. "We can also help them to get experience and new skills with education.”

For folks like Snow, the toughest part about each and every day is just the constant realization of always being on hold.

“Wake up every day, put in your job apps, and hope someone calls back or hope that your job calls back,” Snow said.

According to CareerSource, the grant they received from the CARES Act was for $7 million. Right now, the industries looking for the most help right now are health care, construction, nonprofit, and IT, according to the organization.

People looking for help can reach CareerSource via their website.