No work on Labor Day

Labor Day has traditionally been a time to wipe the sweat off your brow and enjoy a well-earned day off from work. However, in today’s economy more people than ever are looking for work — finding a job and having a “day on” might be cause for more celebration.

North Carolina’s unemployment climbed to the highest it has been in a decade in February. At an unemployment rate of 11.2, roughly 510,000 people were unemployed in the state.

Statewide rates have fallen recently in the past few months to around 10 percent, which is the lowest the unemployment rate has been since February 2009. Lenoir County has typically had a slightly higher unemployment rate than the rest of the state and also dropped slightly in July from 10.7 percent to 10.5, according to the N.C. Employment Security Commission.

Being unemployed is not easy or much fun, especially in a county where unemployment is so high and jobs are scarce, Kinston resident Anita Howard said.

“I have gotten close a few times, but it is not easy to find a job if you want to stay around here,” Howard said. “Being out of work, you have to cut back on a lot of things you are used to — if you have a job around here, you should really count yourself lucky.”

Others doubt their ability to find more work, including a Kinston resident who wished to remain anonymous — an iron worker who is on unemployment after losing his job last year after 40 years on the job.

“You will not find too many people who are looking to hire a 60-plus year old iron worker with a bad shoulder,” he said. “I have been in this business for so long that it is all I know. If you do go fill out an application, they take a look at you and want somebody younger or more qualified.”

Kinston Resident Elton Joyner, out of work since last November, worked with a security company. He said the work he was used to is harder to find now.

“I would love to go back to that, but as it stands right now you have got to take anything that comes along that pays decent,” Joyner said. “The biggest problem I have is jobs that you were qualified for a few years ago need more qualifications now.”

With as many people unemployed as have been in decades, one option people are turning to is going back to school. Lenoir Community College has seen record attendance numbers in each of the last three years, with workforce training programs and degrees aimed at boosting qualifications.

“I am going back to school because it is something that is interesting to me, but it was pretty hard finding a job,” Lenoir Community College student Michelle Spence said. “LCC is pretty helpful; they have a lot of good resources.”

Though many people are still out of work, two significant openings in the past few months have led to the local drop in unemployment. Goody’s hired 45 employees in July to reopen in Kinston at the Vernon Park Mall, and MasterBrand Cabinets, which recently expanded, added 300 jobs in May.

An example of how many people in the county are looking for jobs can clearly be seen with the number of applicants for any position that opens nearby. Over 250 people applied for the Goody’s positions, while 1,500 people applied for the MasterBrand jobs.

“The amount of applications we got that day was really overwhelming,” Goody’s Regional Manager Sean Beaver said. “There are a lot of people out there right now who are in need of work — we wish we could hire more, but with a store our size we take all we can afford.”

Beaver said how many employees Goody’s keeps is directly related to how sales do, but the total 45 will not be kept on as less work has to be done in the store.

One resource that is in the corner of anyone who is unemployed is the Employment Security Commission, which will do everything in its power to get people back on their feet, according to Employment Security Commission Public Information Officer Larry Parker.

“If someone is really struggling with getting a lot of their questions answered, they should go to the ESC local office,” Parker said. “We can help you find out what benefits you qualify for, and how to file for them, but we are also able to help start the job search as soon as possible.”

Local employment offices can direct someone to unemployment benefits and jobs that are available and listed with the ESC. Local offices also have instructions on how to use online job search resources, and often have classes to teach proper interview and resume building skills.

Parker said one of the main concerns for the ESC is that people will get discouraged and stop looking for work, but he said encourages everyone not to give up and keep looking.

“There is no doubt that we are in the toughest economic time that we have seen for quite a while, and it can feel daunting if you have been unemployed for a while,” Parker said. “The job search can take a long time, but it is a matter of continuing to get after employers and get your resume out there where there are openings.”

While Parker’s message is understood, many people who are unemployed, like Kinston resident Fredrick Foy, are stuck in the waiting game.

“Mostly, I have just been putting in applications and just waiting to hear back,” said Foy, a forklift driver who has been unemployed for nearly two years. “I am ready to go back to work, but a lot of it is just waiting.”

Joel Gerber can be reached at 252-559-1076 or jgerber@freedomenc.com.

Breakout Box 1:

Unemployment figures for gender and race in North Carolina

• Statistically, women are having an easier time finding work than men. Men over 20 years old in North Carolina are unemployed at a higher than average rate of 11.5 percent, while women enjoy an under-average rate of 8.2 percent
• The race of people who are unemployed is significantly different from black to white. Caucasians over 20 years old are unemployed at a rate of 8.6 percent, while African Americans are unemployed at nearly double that rate at 15 percent

Source: Labor Market Information Division, which was extracted from the North Carolina portion of the Current Population Survey

Breakout Box2 :

Unemployment benefits claimed

• Total amount of unemployment claimed from Aug. 2009-July 10 in Lenoir County: $28,933,979
• Total amount claimed during that time in North Carolina: nearly $5.5 billion
• Unemployment claims filed in North Carolina in July: 64,963

Source: North Carolina Employment Security Commission