|
April 24, 2010
Local jobless rates fall in March
Jonathan Owens
Sanford Herald
SANFORD - Lee County's unemployment rate dropped more than a percentage point in March according to figures released by the N.C. Employment Security Commission Friday.
The county's rate for March came in at 13.2 percent, down from 14.5 percent in February. March's rate is the lowest since November.
According to the data, 3,465 people in Lee are still looking for work, down 308 from the previous month.
Edith Edmond, director of the N.C. Employment Security Commission's office in Lee County, said a decrease of unemployment rates is to common in the second quarter every year, with more businesses hiring for outdoor work in landscaping and construction. But her office is seeing an overall improvement in the local employment situation in recent months.
We are seeing a significant amount of hiring and fewer layoffs, she said Friday. "People getting hired again. It may not be as fast as we would like, but our economy is picking up."
Chatham, Moore and Harnett counties also saw improvements in March. Chatham's rate dropped almost a percentage point from 8.5 percent to 7.6 percent - the third-lowest in the state. Harnett fell from 12.1 percent to 11.2 percent and Moore fell from 11.1 percent to 9.9 percent.
Even U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge weighed in on the improvement through a press release, stating that "small businesses and middle class families in North Carolina are starting to benefit from targeted tax cuts, investments in education and infrastructure and direct assistance to communities," from Congress.
"This is good news," he stated about the decrease. "We may be turning the corner after one of the roughest patches in recent memory, and I will keep working until every North Carolinian who is willing to work hard can find a job."
According to the data, all 100 counties in the state experienced a drop in their rates in March. Orange County had the state's lowest rate at 6.4 percent, while Graham County had the highest at 17.2 percent.
Rates decreased in all 14 of the states Metropolitan Statistical Areas as well. The Charlotte metro area gained 5,300 jobs, while the Raleigh metro area gained 2,300 positions and Greensboro gained 1,800 respectively.
"North Carolina added more than 66,000 jobs to the payrolls in March," Etheridge said. "Although the unemployment rate is still far too high, and we need to build an economy that works for the middle class, this is a great start." |
