Scotland County's 6.7% July unemployment rate tops figures across state

Tomeka Sinclair, The Laurinburg Exchange, N.C.
·2 min read

Aug. 31—LAURINBURG — Scotland remains North Carolina's county with the highest unemployment rate, a position it has held off and on throughout the years but has stayed steady in for the past four months, according to the NC Department of Commerce.

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in 39 of North Carolina's counties in July 2023, increased in 27, and remained unchanged in 34. Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 6.7% while Buncombe and Swain Counties each had the lowest at 2.7%.

The unemployment rate in Scotland has slowly been on the rise since April when it peaked this year at 6.8%, when it took the number-one spot. In May the unemployment rate dropped to 6.2%, then rose to 6.5% in June.

Despite the numbers, Scotland's unemployment rate has decreased significantly since 2022. In July of 2023, the unemployment rate was 7% and in the year 2020, the rate had inflated to 15.7% in July due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Department of Commerce, a total of 10,308 of Scotland County's labor force was employed in July while 738 were unemployed.

The largest employment industries in Scotland are the health care and social assistance, educational services, public administration and manufacturing industries.

The top five employers are Scotland Memorial Hospital, Scotland County Schools, The Department of Public Safety, Meritor Heavy Vehicle System LLC and Scotland County.

Last week, the Lumber River Workforce Development Board in partnership with NCWorks and SCWorks collaborated to host a multistate job fair event called "Sharing Borders Sharing Jobs" at the Southeastern Agricultural Center. During the event, employers from North and South Carolina came onsite to recruit, interview and hire for various careers and job opportunities available in the eastern NC/SC area.

NC Department of Commerce: "It is important to note that employment estimates are subject to large seasonal patterns; therefore, it is advisable to focus on over-the-year changes in the not seasonally adjusted estimates."

Tomeka Sinclair can be reached at tsinclair@laurinburgexchange.com or at 910-306-3169.