As the unemployment rates from December came in, Surry County’s rate went up a tenth of a percentage point to 12.3 percent, while the state’s unemployment rate was reported as 10.9 percent.

Bobbi Wessling, manager of the Employment Security Commission and Surry County JobLink, said the 12.3 unemployment rate is up just slightly from November, but it is up considerably over the figures from December of 2008, when the unemployment rate was 10.1.

“Several things play into that. First of all, we’ve had a lot more of our industry leave us and not be replaced. In some other areas, while some businesses are closing, other businesses are still there and are available. They may have been looking for employees, now they are able to find some employees. So you have a little bit more employment opportunities in some of these areas for people with a little bit more of a diverse group of employees,” Wessling said.

She said in Forsyth County, for example, there are not as many manufacturing jobs as Surry County, which was so heavily dependent on the manufacturing sector for jobs.

Wessling said the unemployment rate is based upon people who have filed claims and people who are looking for work.

“The underemployed or those who have just given up, that’s not part of this official unemployment rate, but that is a part of the unofficial unemployment rate that you hear about a lot now on the news, where they are thinking the country actually has a 17 percent unemployment rate because of that. If we had statistics on that, you would certainly see it a higher (rate) probably in North Carolina, too,” Wessling said.

She said the county is still reeling from when Surry County manufacturing jobs moved overseas

“We are now looking at the results of all these plant closings. These people are just not able to reconnect,” Wessling said.

She said as far as new jobs are concerned, the temporary agencies are starting to hire a little more.

“It is a sign that the economy is starting to turn a little. So in the past that has always been the bell weather that’s told us that maybe we are starting to turn the corner. The health care industry still tends to be very steady. There is a lot of CNA-type work available. The hospital has been fairly steady with their employment,” Wessling said.

“We’ve got our fingers crossed that maybe things will start to pick up in the spring,” Wessling said.

Todd Tucker, president of the Surry County Economic Development Partnership Inc., said he is working on a couple of projects that could bring more jobs to Surry County in the near future.

“This is going to be a tough year, 2010 will be competitive and still really dependent upon the national economy. We do see some bright spots, but it’s going to be an uphill battle. This recovery is probably going to take a little bit longer than some people though, especially for the more rural areas of our state. We will see a lag in the recovery time I believe,” Tucker said.

Tucker said he and the EDP is doing everything in their power to bring more jobs to Surry County.

“We are out there working and marketing the county. We are going on the trips, making the calls, doing all the things that we should be doing. We can’t make people spend money and hire folks. All we can do is be prepared and do all of the things we need to do to have Surry County prepared when they are ready to spend money,” Tucker said.

He said he knows of one business that is getting ready to announce their move to Surry County within the next month, but he could release no additional details.

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.