• By Adriana Acosta •
• Originally published July 28, 2010 at 2:51 p.m., updated July 28, 2010 at 2:51 p.m.

The county saw a high rise in unemployment for the month of June.

Matagorda County unemployment rate increased from 10.9 percent in May to 12 percent in June, according to the new numbers released by the Texas Workforce Commission.

The 1.1 percentage point increase is one Carolyn Thames, Business Consultant for the Texas Workforce Commission in Bay City., is not happy about.

“It is a scary number, and I don’t like it,” Thames said.

Meanwhile, the Texas unemployment rate dropped in June and added 166,100 jobs since January.

“The unemployment rate has been steady, but this is the highest I have seen since I have been here,” Thames said.

Thames has been with the Texas Workforce Commission for three years.

There are several reasons that attribute for the high rate, she said.

Many employers hire college students that come back for the summer and offer them part-time jobs, she said.

Thames said the recent closures of places like the Golden Corral, the movie theater and the bowling alley do not have an impact in the rise in unemployment.

Another reason may be because most of the positions that are open are not attractive to those who want to get another job not in their field, she said.

Jobs in food service, clerical and administrative are always available, she said.

A person qualified to do construction jobs that has been laid off is going to want another construction job, she said.

The workforce commission offers help with transferable skills – those are skills that were used in a past position that can be used in a new job.

Someone who may have owned their own business and had to shut down may have multiple skills that can be used in new job position, she said.

A person looking for employment can take advantage of the programs workforce offers like interviewing technique classes and resume writing classes.

“We want to help connect employers to job seekers,” she said.

Texas Workforce does that by also offering employment counselors, computers to do job searches and other programs that will help them, she said.

New developments like the newly announced Destination Square will help boost the employment rate, said Mark Bricker, mayor of Bay City.

“There is a theme to all this,” said Bricker.

Many businesses are tightening up, he said. Matagorda is not immune from suffering from the recession, he said.

With future expansion of South Texas Project Units 3 and 4 and the possible construction of White Stallion, Thames welcomes the jobs those companies will bring.

South Texas Project Nuclear Power Plant is expected to bring approximately 5,000 construction jobs during the construction of the new units.

White Stallion will bring approximately 1,200 construction jobs.

“We need jobs and we welcome any industry coming here and building here,” she said.

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