Watauga ties for state’s second lowest jobless rate

By Frank Ruggiero

Watauga County tied for the second lowest unemployment rate in the state for the month of October.

A release from the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina indicates that a sharp increase in the state’s labor force and employment resulted in a 5.1 percent unemployment rate for North Carolina in October.

“While the not-seasonally adjusted rate remained the same, the large increase in employment is a good sign that business is growing in North Carolina,” ESC Chairman Harry E. Payne, Jr. said in the release.

Twenty-five counties’ rates remained the same as in September, while 37 counties’ unemployment rates decreased and 38 counties’ rates increased, including Watauga County’s.

Watauga’s rate of 2.8 percent for October is .1 percent up from September’s rate, and is tied with Jackson County.

Once again, Currituck County took first with a rate of 2.2 percent, down .1 percent from September.

Avery County ranked in at 4.5 percent, remaining the same as in September. Caldwell County had the highest unemployment rate of 9.6 percent in October, up 1 percent from September.

Azalee Simandle, director of the Watauga County Employment Security Commission, said Watauga County’s October labor force was 27,379 with 26,606 employed and 767 unemployed. The unemployment rate increased from September, when the labor force was 27,013 with 26,278 employed and 735 unemployed.

“It’s a very minor change,” Simandle said, adding that there was no pattern for the loss of jobs. She said the National Park Service had some lay-offs, but most others were unrelated and from “different, smaller places.”

“We’re still well below the state average, which is good,” Simandle pointed out.

The commission is offering between 175 and 200 jobs, and Simandle said the county can expect more lay-offs in construction, “but it seems a lot of the employees are trying to get things under roof so they can continue to work.”

She said there are 60 jobs in the professional category, which includes the health industry and teaching, while others include store managers, assistant store managers and executive assistants.

The clerical field is offering about 38 positions, such as customer service, sales, front desk work and cashiers, while there are also 38 service jobs like housekeeping, laundry, cooking and daycare.

“A little bit of outside work is still coming in for landscaping, tree service and industrial mechanics, as well as some automobile mechanics and cabinet makers,” Simandle said. “We’re still good with carpenters, laborers, masons and drywall work.”

The last category also offers jobs in trucking and site attendants.

“We are staying busy with people looking for jobs,” Simandle continued. “Some of it may be looking for a better job, but we’re still having a lot of people visit our office to check out the jobs.”

For more information, call the Watauga County Employment Security Commission at 265-5385 or visit www.ncesc.com on the Web.

• Frank Ruggiero may be contacted

at ruggiero@wataugademocrat.com.