Job losses mount

The state’s unemployment rate reached 11 percent in October, marking the first increase in five months.

Lenoir County Commissioner George Graham said there was growing concern among the employed and unemployed because the jobs outlook continues to look grim.

“There is a lot of emotion out there because of the tough economy,” Graham said. “The holiday season is approaching and people are out of work.”

The state’s unemployment rate was 11.1 percent in May, according to N.C. Employment Security Commission statistics. The rate subsequently dropped to 10.8 percent in September.

“The numbers have been pretty steady since February,” ESC Chairman Moses Carey Jr. said. “We’ve had ups and downs concerning the number of people employed and unemployed, but we haven’t experienced any significant changes.”

The latest county unemployment rates for October will be released Dec. 1. Lenoir County’s unemployment rate in September was 11.4 percent.

Lenoir County economic development director Mark Pope has said the job outlook for the region remains positive because of Sanderson Farms’ and Spirit AeroSystems’ expected impact. The companies will bring about 3,000 jobs to Kinston.

During the past year, several companies have let workers go because of the slumping economy.

William Barnet and Son LLC cut 30 workers from its Kinston plant in October. Pope said Barnet laid off fewer workers than it expected because several contracts were extended until the end of the year. Barnet produces and markets fiber, yarn and resin to international customers.

“They had planned to let up to 110 workers go,” Pope said. “They didn’t have to lay off as many as they thought.”

The unemployment rates continued to increase nationwide last month.

Twenty-nine states experienced an increase in their unemployment rates in October with Michigan having the highest unemployment rate at 15.2 percent. There were 13 states that had unemployment rates above the national average of 10.2 percent, including North Carolina.

State officials continue to work to enhance the public’s employment skills. Gov. Bev Perdue announced Thursday that North Carolina will join with Microsoft to provide free technology training across the state.

“This partnership will provide North Carolinians another opportunity to retrain for today’s new economy,” Perdue said.

Microsoft is partnering with the North Carolina Community College System, the Division of Workforce Development the N.C. Department of Commerce and ESC to distribute 23,700 training vouchers during the next 90 days.

For information on the Microsoft training vouchers, visit secure.ncjoblinkmis.com.

Chris Lavender can be reached at 252-559-1078 or clavender@freedomenc.com.