CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The latest North and South Carolina unemployment numbers are out.
Both were 9.4 percent in June.
Carrie Kidwell is out of work. She used to do everything from sort mail to work on fuel injectors.
"I work and I work hard," she said.
But she's been out of work for three years. When Eyewitness News asked her how often she comes to the unemployment office -- and guessed once a week -- she said, "At least."
"I've been looking for work everywhere," she said. "I don't want to be out [of work], but I have no choice right now."
For North Carolina, 9.4 percent is the third month in a row.
"Clearly, we've put just a small dent back in what we've lost during the recession but, you know, if things can continue this way, hopefully job gains will pick back up," said N.C. Division of Employment Security spokesperson Larry Parker.
The industry that's doing best from last June to this one is professional and business services, everything from lawyers to landscapers.
For South Carolina, 9.4 percent is the first increase in almost a year, up .3 percent from May.
State officials blame summer. School's out and teachers, like Sitrina Miller, are technically out of work. In fact, she becomes a student herself.
"What I started doing is just going to school while I'm out during the summer," she said.