Unemployment Reaches 20-Year High In Charlotte

North Carolina released new unemployment numbers Friday showing that in the Charlotte metro area, the jobless rate has gone up 0.7 percent since December to 12.8 percent.

That’s the highest rate in at least two decades.

Friday, the line at an East Charlotte employment office was steady up until closing. LaMonica Austin was one of the job seekers.

Austin said, “I’ve been looking, putting in resumes, applications, going online and they say they’ll call you back but I haven’t heard anything yet.” Austin lost her management job last November.

Randall Darnell manages Mecklenburg County’s Employment Security offices. He said despite the down numbers, there is an upside.

“We are gradually seeing more job postings than previous months,” he said. Randall said the catch is that getting back to work may mean getting a smaller salary. It’s a sacrifice Austin is willing to make.

“I was hoping to find another management position, right now how things are going I’ll take what I can get,” he said.

Last month, Mecklenburg County’s unemployment rate also went up, to 11.7 percent.

Statewide, unemployment is at 11.5 percent.

Areas outside of the Charlotte area have been hit even harder. In Hickory, unemployment is at 15.8 percent. In Catawba County, it’s at 15.2 percent.

In the Hickory metro area, which includes four surrounding counties, more than 26,000 people are out of work, state statistics show.

Residents such as Jerry and Keshia Davis are struggling to get by. The couple, who have two small children, said they have been looking for jobs for nearly a year.

“My wife is out of work [and] I'm just at bottoms end looking for stuff,” Jerry said. “It’s real hard to keep your head up when times are rough like this.”

The area has lost thousands of jobs in the furniture and textile fields. Within Hickory’s city limits, there is 4 million square feet of commercial space available.

“Any way you slice it, it is a tough job market for the person out looking for a job,” said Allan Mackie, from the North Carolina Employment Security Commission. "Not only is it tough to find a job, but it’s tough to find a job where you can use your educational skill set.”

There have been some bright spots recently, which could be a sign that the economy is finally on the upswing. Pierre Foods in Claremont announced it will add 500 workers. Fiserv, a customer service center, is hiring more than 400 people.

The Employment Security Commission is hopeful that the unemployment rate will come down slightly this spring as those job announcements turn into actual jobs.