A sluggish national economy and an annual mid-year slump in employment opportunities have combined to make finding a job in Ames difficult for students.

“What makes this year a bit different from other years is that the economy is a bit softer both nationally and here in Ames,” said David Maahs, executive director for the Ames Chamber of Commerce.

Maahs said most businesses – especially retail businesses – do the greatest amount of hiring in the fall because that is when students are coming back to school and employers need to fill positions for the holiday season.

Businesses usually hire students for part-time positions to fill odd hours and weekends, as opposed to hiring staff full-time.

“We like to hire students because typically our hours are flexible and students can fill those hours,” said Kelly Stewart, McDonald’s business office supervisor.

Some local businesses, however, have not hired as many students as in previous years because of the slow economy.

“Student-wise, we haven’t really had to hire quite as much as in the past, at least in the past few months anyway,” said David Lingren, personnel manager at Hy-Vee, 3800 W. Lincoln Way.

Though the company currently employs about 200 ISU students, they only hire sporadically throughout the year, Lingren said.

“The time that we do a lot of hiring is August . and there are a couple of other times that we do a little more hiring in the semester,” he said.

There is, however, a light at the end of the tunnel for students anxiously trying to find a job.

“We have some companies in Ames that sell products around the country,” Maahs said. “Some of those companies may have seen some of their business dip last year, but it may pick up this year.”

This could make the economy in Ames stronger and provide more employment opportunities for students.

“When business picks up, businesses usually look for part-time employees before full-time,” he said.

As an alternative to working off campus, students can also work for the university, though most students are hired through federal work-study jobs.

Currently, Iowa State employs 6,600 students, said Doug Anderson, university payroll manager.