By Mark Wineka
mwineka@salisburypost.com
Rowan County’s unemployment rate has passed the 9 percent mark.
Figures released by the Employment Security Commission today put Rowan’s jobless rate at 9.3 percent in December.
It’s a rate expected to increase in coming months because of layoffs that have occurred in January and significant layoffs pending at Freightliner and Auto Truck Transport in March.
Unemployment rates increased in December in 97 of the state’s 100 counties. Rowan’s rate was 8.6 percent in November.
North Carolina had an overall unemployment rate of 8.5 percent in December, the highest state rate in 25 years.
The Employment Security Commission classified 6,758 people as unemployed and receiving unemployment insurance benefits in Rowan County in December.
Here are the December jobless rates in counties touching Rowan and the change since the November report:
– Cabarrus ó 8.5 percent, up from 7.7 percent.
– Davidson ó 9.7 percent, up from 9.2 percent.
– Davie ó 8.3 percent, up from 8 percent.
– Iredell ó 9.2 percent, up from 8.1 percent.
– Stanly ó 9.5 percent, up from 8.8 percent.