Sep. 4--Job seekers and those soon to be out of work with the end of the tourism season will have a special job forum next week to help them find work.

Two local legislators organized the forum, headed up by the S.C. Employment Security Commission on Sept. 12, for residents in Horry, Georgetown and Williamsburg counties.

They say its imperative because of the area's high unemployment rates, which are expected to to climb after Labor Day.

Sen. Dick Elliott, D-North Myrtle Beach, and Rep. Vida Miller, D-Pawleys Island, organized the forum, which will take place at the AVX Technology Center at Horry-Georgetown Technical College from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., said Clark Newsom, spokesman for the commission.

"We're going to have massive loads of unemployed people as the peak season closes down. If we're going to do anything in our area, we're going to do it now," Elliott said. "A lot of people talk, but I like to take the bull by the horns and get things done."

Horry County's unemployment rate was 10.4 percent in July, according to the most recent statistics from the S.C. Employment Security Commission.

In Georgetown County, where more than 200 people lost their jobs this summer with the shutdown of the ArcelorMittal steel mill, the jobless rate was 12.2 percent in July.

Both counties' rates are nearly twice as high as the same time last year.

This is the first time a job forum sponsored by the commission has been held in the Myrtle Beach area in the fall, Newsom said.

Similar forums have been held in Greenville and Florence.

Forty employees from the work force centers in Conway, Myrtle Beach, Georgetown and Kingstree will meet individually with unemployed residents, connect them with local employers who are hiring and provide advice on their careers and education, Newsom said.

As of Thursday, four employers had expressed interest in attending the forum and hiring on site, he said.

"I realize this location may be not as convenient for people from Georgetown or Williamsburg counties, but ... we will hold some other forums from time to time in some different locations," Miller said.

This forum was as centrally located as organizers could make it at this time, she said.

"I would just urge anybody to stop by, take a Saturday morning, take an hour or so to stop by and take advantage of this," Miller said.

Time is of the essence, she said.

"I think it's very important because after this weekend, there will be a lot of jobs lost in the area," she said. "Certainly, I think there was an impending need to get this done as soon as possible after Labor Day so that people could start the process of finding employment."

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If you go What -- South Carolina Employment Security Commission Job Forum

When -- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 12

Where -- Horry-Georgetown Technical College, AVX Technology Center, Building 1000 in Conway

Cost -- Free

Contact MONIQUE NEWTON at 626-0310.

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