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by EDWARD SZTUKOWSKI
News Reporter
The Employment Security Commission of North Carolina (ESC) released unemployment statistics for December 2008 Friday, showing a rate increase in 97 counties.
While some counties were hit harder than others, Watauga County only experienced a change of .6 percent, putting the state rate at 5.7 percent.
Watauga currently has the second lowest unemployment rate in North Carolina after Orange County.
This is in stark contrast to Scotland County, which currently has a 13.9 percent unemployment rate, the highest in the state.
Dawn A.
Boyer, a manager at the Employment Security Commission in Watauga,
attributes the low unemployment rate to Appalachian State University
and tourism. She said the college, as well as skiers from out of town,
protects the town from experiencing higher unemployment rates.
Boyer said construction jobs have been hit the hardest by the economy in Watauga.
“We have
construction guys who come in and say, ‘I’ve been doing this for 20, 40
years and have never had a lay off,’” Boyer said. “People who would
normally be building vacation homes are losing jobs.”
Boyer said traditionally, jobs in the medical field have been recession-proof, but even they have experienced losses.
“Even
though jobs in the medical field have been recession-proof in the past,
there have been two hospitals in this area who have had layoffs,” Boyer
said. “Service jobs are usually safe, but we’ve even heard of heating
and air conditioning people being laid off.”
Students
graduating and looking for careers do not have too much to worry about
if they are willing to branch out of their majors, Director of the
Career Development Center Marjorie Ellis said.
“There
are only so many jobs in Watauga County,” Ellis said. “There are
definitely jobs out there, but not necessarily what some students are
looking for.”
January’s unemployment rate has yet to be released, but Boyer said they expect the rate to continue to increase.
While
belts are tightening and people are reducing their expenses, Boyer said
the situation has the ability to strengthen relationships between
people in Watauga.
“Someone
said to me that we are all in this together,” Boyer said. “This is a
wonderful time for people to do more with less. If we as a community
can band together and help each other, we’ll be better off for it.”
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