Conway workforce center says ‘Grand Strand struggling with jobs’

South Carolina’s new jobless numbers came out Wednesday and they weren’t all that good. The employment security commission said that the state had an unemployment rate of 11.6%; that’s up slightly from August which was 11.4%.

However it turned around a recent trend of lowering unemployment. The most recent national rate is 9.8% and some of that may reflect the loss of seasonal jobs which are vital on the Grand Strand especially in a tough economy.

Edward Jenkins has been out of work for a little over a month and said he isn’t sure how much longer he’ll be able to financially survive if he doesn’t get another job soon.

He said he was working with Kentucky Fried Chicken for four month as a cook until his hours were cut back and he was eventually let go.

“I’m getting evicted from my apartment right now,” said Jenkins “it’s hard to come up with money that you don’t have, can’t find a job and it’s hard to pay all these bills and I just got different bills coming at me all at once bank, phone and now my phone’s off too.“

Jenkins said he’s been applying for a job everywhere along the Grand Strand that he thinks looks promising to him.

He added that he’s even trying his luck with finding a job for the first time at the Coastal Workforce Center in Conway.

“I always thought that I would never come to an unemployment office,“ said Jenkins, “I thought I would never stoop like that thinking it was like belittling myself.“

Mary Nell Smith the workforce center’s area director said that she isn’t surprised with the large crowds that are coming in, as Horry County’s unemployment rate went up by more than 3% from this time last year.

However she said the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

“There’re a lot of people that are out work and have quit looking for work and those people drop out of numbers so you know I think the unemployment rate is probably higher,” Smith said.

Smith said that even the area’s seasonal job trends have been significantly down this year adding that she isn’t sure aren’t sure if that will change anytime soon.

“We aren’t seeing the holiday hires yet which we normally see here you kind of sit around with your fingers crossed and hope that it’s going to be better and we just haven’t seen that,“ explained Smith.

Jenkins said that if he continues to hit a dead end in his job hunt he may just change direction and work on a back up plan.

“I’d probably go back to school fill out for like financial aid and hope for the best with that,“ said Jenkins, “I’m not going to give up, I believe life is worth living for and do my best and try to succeed.”