Since she began looking for work in January 2010, Durham resident Alexandria Dandridge has only been offered one interview.
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, thousands of Durhamites are facing similar difficulties. The North Carolina Employment Security Commission reported a 7.1 percent unemployment rate for Durham County for December 2010, and 9.8 percent of citizens were unemployed statewide.
Compared to some other counties in the state, Durham’s unemployment rate is relatively low. North Carolina has 57 counties with more than 10 percent unemployment, said Larry Parker, acting director of public information for the NCESC. Relative to more rural counties, Orange, Wake and Durham counties are better off, he noted.
The 7.1 percent figure is lower than the 2009 average of 7.9 percent and the 2010 average of 7.6 percent, but it is significantly higher than pre-recession unemployment in Durham County. In 2007 and 2006, the annual average unemployment rates were less than 4 percent.
For Durham residents still looking for work, the search remains difficult.
“They say it’s improving,” said DelVecchio Faison, a Durham resident who has been looking for work since July, “but to experience it firsthand, it’s all a big blur.”
New jobs, new skills
Most new jobs in the evolving Durham economy will demand different and more specialized skills, said Ted Conner, vice president of economic development for the Durham Chamber of Commerce. Many workers will need to have a strong grasp of math and science and might consider additional training to improve their skills in order to have access to new job opportunities, he noted.
“There’s not much of the old hierarchical management style,” he said. “Employees have to be able to solve problems on their own as the economy becomes more technical.”
For Dandridge and Faison, pursuing further education has often become an obstacle when looking for work.
Since Dandridge started her four-year nursing program at Durham Technical Community College two years ago, many employers have turned her away because she can only work part-time.
“I did get work for a month at the [Duke University Textbook Store] through a temp agency,” she noted. “They wouldn’t take me for longer because I couldn’t work full time.”
If Dandridge quits school to pursue full-time work, she said she would have to pay back the grant money she had received from Durham Tech.
Finishing her education, though, may provide opportunities. Dandridge said she is optimistic that her job prospects will improve after completing her program at Durham Tech.
“I think I will get a job then, hopefully,” she said.
Faison has encountered similar frustrations finding work since leaving his job as a teacher’s assistant in a Durham elementary school.
“I thought I would try temp agencies as a way to get my foot in the door,” he said. “That really hasn’t been the case.”
Government action
Creating opportunities in the city remains a top priority for local officials. Conner praised the city and state governments for their work in trying to foster economic development and job growth.
“They’ve been great partners in developing infrastructure and creating incentives for companies to develop in Durham,” he said.
Conner noted that the state government has tried to create incentives for companies to hire workers through corporate tax cuts or tax credits. At the same time, the city government has helped to “eliminate roadblocks” such as delays in construction permits and encouraging companies to expand, he noted. Overall, he remains optimistic about potential job growth in the upcoming year.
“We’re seeing major expansions from some employers, including IBM and Cree [an LED light maker],” he noted, adding that jobs in the health care sector will continue to grow, too.
Job growth locally is to some extent dependent on the global economic climate, however. Conner noted that technology firms and manufacturers in Durham have markets all over the world, and unfortunately companies will continue to hire few workers until consumer spending and business investment pick up globally.
“Many companies are operating at minimum production capacity right now,” he said. “If their sales increase, they will definitely want to take on more workers.”
While government officials take measures to stimulate job growth, Durham residents like Faison and Dandridge face challenging financial situations.
For Faison and Dandridge, reapplying for unemployment benefits after they expired has been a recent source of frustration. Faison has been forced to live off the remnants of his earlier benefits, while Dandridge has had issues renewing benefits even as she tries to support her young son and mother.
“I come in here with my own problems, and [the NCESC gives] me the same old answer as they give everyone else,” she said.
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