During the Greater Topeka Partnership's annual Economic Outlook Conference on Friday, Freddy Mawyin, the GTP's research manager, revealed 4,681 workers in Shawnee County remain out of a job. "Small businesses are under severe financial stress," he said, "and a large pool of workers have not yet recovered from the recession." The county's unemployment rate in October was just over 5% — a notable drop from the 12.2% unemployment rate seen in April. Mawyin indicated local employment numbers are "slowly improving." Still, he said, it could be the second quarter of 2021 before local employment returns to pre-pandemic rates. That information left some wondering about Topeka and Shawnee County's current job market. Are there jobs out there for local unemployed workers, or do openings remain scarce?