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McDowell unemployment shows slight decline for August

Ford Miller offices now open on Baldwin Ave

By Britt Combs | The McDowell News

Published: September 29, 2009

The unemployment picture appeared to improve slightly in August, both statewide and in McDowell County. The unemployment statistics released by the state Employment Security Commission showed a slight decline in 90 of 100 counties, including McDowell.

Many have exhausted their benefits, and are then no longer counted as among the unemployed, whether they have found work or not.

In a statement released Friday, ESC Chairman Moses Cone Jr. said students returning to school and people relocating, seeking work out of state are real factors in reducing the rates for August by reducing the work force itself.

For the month of August, 14.5 percent – 3,070 persons -- of McDowell's 21,169 workers were unemployed. That's down from 14.8 percent, a 0.3 percent decline from July.

For a community like McDowell County, with its long tradition of hard work and rugged self sufficiency, the long recession has been a bitter pill to swallow. Many families have worked every day for generations, never missing a day. That proud can-do spirit has taken a hit in recent years, leaving many in need of support for the first time in their lives.

That's where the newly opened Ford Miller Employment and Training Complex enters the picture. Under one roof are now combined the offices of several agencies that help the out of work return again to the ranks of hard working Americans.

Fittingly, the facility is located in the old executive office building of Marion Manufacturing, where the employment of thousands was secured for decades.

Jerry Broome of Job Link said the new facilities will make a real difference for those seeking a new job, or the skills to get a new job.

"The customers are the winners here," he said. Often the travel of visiting several offices is extremely difficult for the unemployed. But now many referrals can be made on a "one stop basis."

Besides Job Link, the Employment Security Commission, McDowell Tech's Human Resources Development, GED training and English as a Second Language programs on site, Broome said, DSS and Vocational Rehab and others will also be there at least part time.

"If you lose your job for any reason," he said, he and the others will consider your situation on a case by case basis. For some it may mean a chance to go back to school for a couple of years, under the Workforce Investment Act.

There are many ways the various departments can help, he said, and having the ability to easily get from one agency to another in one building can make a world o0f difference, he explained. Many who come seeking help have had to ask others for a ride or take a cab. A simple thing like coming back later in t he day might be impossible for some of the Job Link clients.

Marilyn Williams, manager of the EOC, took a moment from unpacking boxes to comment that the local labor market was "still tight," and there were prospects for further layoffs even while other employers are exploring opening in McDowell.

There was nothing major on the horizon that she knew of, she said, "but even a few jobs helps."

The facility is named for Ford Miller, owner of the old Marion Manufacturing complex who donated the office building for McDowell Tech's use.

Broome said it was a sort of homecoming for him, as he grew up on Baldwin Avenue, the son of Marion Manufacturing parents. The process was begun, he said, in January 2009 and the renovation has been quick, considering all the work that had been done.

New classrooms and well-equipped computer rooms surround the Ford Miller Conference Room, with walls still adorned by the old paneling that once marked the opulent board room decades ago.

The staff there will find plenty of work to do in the coming months and years, as the unemployment picture across the state still look pretty grim, and as America climbs back from the steepest job losses in decades.

Neighboring Rutherford County's unemployment for August was unchanged from July at 15 percent. Burke County had 14.2 percent unemployed, down from 14.9 in July.

The picture was much better in Buncombe County, where just 8.3 percent were unemployed, down from 8.8 percent in July. Mitchell County saw 11.2 percent in August, down from 12.7 a month earlier.

The worst employment figures for the state were in Scotland (16.5 percent), Edgecombe, Caldwell, Anson, Rutherford, Cherokee and Cleveland (14.8 percent) counties.

The lowest rates were found in Currituck, Hyde, Dare, Orange, Camden and Watauga counties, with unemployment ranging from 5.1 percent to 7.1 percent.

The foothills are particularly hard hit. McDowell, Rutherford, Burke, Cleveland, Gaston, Catawba and Alexander counties formed the highest cluster on unemployment in the state.