More than 2,600 registered workers in the county remain without a job as of the end of September, and the unemployment rate for the state of North Carolina remains in double figures, at 10.4 percent.
Since October 2008, the Employment Security Commission has paid out just less than $4 trillion in unemployment benefits across the state.
In Richmond County, it has distributed more than $19,850,000 in these benefits.
The rate decreased in 76 of the state’s 100 counties over the course of September, while another 10 saw their numbers hold steady.
The volatility of the job market in the state appears to be flattening out, with individual counties reporting less fluctuation. No county reported a gain or loss of an entire percentage point.
The greatest improvement in the state happened in Wilson County, where its unemployment rate dropped 0.9 percent. The jobless rate in Wilson County is currently 11.9 percent.
The greatest job loss in the state occurred in Dare and Davie counties, where each saw one-half of one percent of their workers lose their jobs. In Dare County, the rate is 6.8 percent, and in Davie County it is 12.1 percent.
In neighboring counties, Scotland County held on to the dubious distinction of having the highest unemployment rate in the state.
Its figures remained at 16.5 percent for the second consecutive month.
Anson saw mild improvement in its job market, with the figure dropping from 15 to 14.8 percent.
Montgomery County’s rate is now the same as Richmond’s after it saw its jobless figures decline by three-tenths of a percentage point. Montgomery County’s rate is now 13.3 percent.
Moore County also saw slight improvement, getting rid two-tenths of a percent of its jobless roll to reach 9.5 percent.
Stanly County dropped three-tenths of a percent to 11.9, while Hoke County remained the regional leader with an unemployment rate of only 8.3 percent.
There are 14 other North Carolina counties with rates at Richmond’s 13.2 percent or above.
The leading contributing factor to job loss in the state were the construction and special trade contracting industries. This sector of the state economy saw more 6,300 workers file an initial claim for unemployment insurance benefits in September.
Other sectors of the economy shedding jobs included textiles, furniture and fixtures, business services and commercial and industrial machinery and computer equipment.
Textile manufacturers saw more than 4,600 workers file an initial claim, while furniture and fixture workers filed more than 4,000 initial claims, and business services and commercial and industrial machinery and computer equipment industries both saw more than 3,600 workers file an initial claim.
The North Carolina Employment Security Commission didn’t include information about what industries were hiring.
ESC Chairman Moses Carey Jr. tempered enthusiasm over the mild gains made in local job markets across the state in the release.
“The global and national recession continues to affect our state,” Carey said. “While 76 of our counties across North Carolina experienced an unemployment rate decrease, we must remember that most of these same counties remain at a high rate. We’re encouraged by some recent job announcements, but we are also aware of some continued layoffs.”
n Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.
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