Sep. 1--The figures are certainly nothing to cheer about this Labor Day.

The most recent unempoyment figures in the Pee Dee show that in July the rate was 9.3 percent and the state's rate was at a three-year high of 7 percent.

Marion County's rate of 14.7 percent was the second highest in the state.

It was up from 12.1 percent in June. Pee Dee counties rate in June was 8.4 percent.

And for other Pee Dee counties it doesn't get much better.

Marlboro and Williamsburg counties rates put them in the top 10.

Marlboro County came in at No. 6, with 11.7 percent not working and Williamsburg County was No. 10, at 10.9 percent.

Dillon County, tied with McCormick County for the state's 12th highest unemployment rate, was at 10.6 percent in July.

Chesterfield County had an 8.9 percent unemployment rate, and Darlington County was at 8.5 percent.

The Pee Dee's work force dropped by 843 people in June to 169,161 in July. The number of unemployed workers, meanwhile, rose by 1,476 since June.

The national unemployment rate also increased from 5.5 percent in June to 5.7 percent in July.

A year ago, the Pee Dee's unemployment rate was 8.2 percent. The state's rate was 5.8 percent at that time.

Florence County had the "best" rate in the Pee Dee at 7.5 percent, but that was an increase from June's rate of 6.7 percent.

According to a story in the Morning News, we added 1,800 private-sector jobs and 4,900 seasonal jobs during the month.

But we lost 2,400 manufacturing jobs and 1,500 retail jobs, according to the South Carolina Employment Commission.

What all these figures show is that we need to continue to push education, retraining and industry recruitment to help us not only get people jobs but to increase our per capita income as well.

That's the only way South Carolina and our Pee Dee counties will progress.

But, among all that "bad news" we have had our share of recent successes to celebrate.

H.J. Heinz Co. and Monster will create 1,100 jobs when they are up and running in their new Florence locations.

And that's jobs for residents throughout the Pee Dee not just Florence.

And then there are the spin-off jobs that those businesses will create.

Let's just hope that next Labor Day the figures look much better, and we have more "successes" to celebrate.

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