Oxford resident Ira Upshaw is one of a growing number of Oxford residents without a job.
The 36-year-old has been looking for work in Lafayette County since March of last year. Upshaw was one of more than 700 Whirlpool employees to be laid off after the plant closed in 2008.
Hoping to find factory work, he said he’s applied for jobs ranging from a custodial position at the university to a Burger King employee.
“I haven’t heard anything from them yet,” Upshaw said. “I’m just waiting, hoping somebody will call.”
While Upshaw has been able to make ends meet with his unemployment benefits, he said it takes a lot of budgeting.
To supplement his income, he picks up cans and abandoned appliances on the side of the road to sell for scrap metal.
“Before it got cold, I’d go cut a yard or rake leaves or something to make money,” he said. “Right now everything has slowed down. It seems like everything is getting slower. The way they say things are on television, it might get worse.”
According to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, unemployment in Lafayette County is on the rise.
The unemployment rate climbed to 8.1 percent in December, up from November’s 7 percent rate and nearly three points above the 5.2 percent rate in December 2008.
However, Lafayette County’s unemployment rate is low in comparison to most Mississippi counties and well below the state average of 10.3 percent.
Wayne Gasson, spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, said he was surprised to see the unemployment rate increase statewide in December.
“What we saw this month is what we would expect in January,” he said, adding that temporary holiday employment usually causes the unemployment rate to dip in December.
Gasson said January and June are typically the months with the highest unemployment rates.
Lafayette County and other counties with universities usually have seasonal spikes that correlate with the school year, he said.
“In the summer when the majority of the students aren’t there and during the fall break, you’ll see the employment numbers drop down,” Gasson said. “It normally follows a seasonal pattern with the university cycle. People work on campus and they work part time. Those people are going to be counted as employed also,” he said. “That’s why you kind of see a seasonal spike in college counties.”
Max Hipp, president and CEO of the Oxford Chamber of Commerce, said Lafayette County’s relatively low rate is mainly due to the presence of the university, which serves as an “economic engine” for the community.
“I think it has to do with the fact that we are a college town,” he said. “We are more resistant to some of the effects of economic downturns than some other communities our size. It’s just always been that way.”
Hipp said there are hundreds of people that come to Oxford on a every day to conduct business with the university in some way and spend money in the community.
“The university helps us import money,” he said. “People come in here to spend money in a community which normally they would not. It’s not so much the level of employment at the university, but it’s impact on our local economy.”
Oxford Mayor George “Pat” Patterson said there is a need for more industrial jobs in Lafayette County.
“We’re quietly working very hard through our Chamber of Commerce on some ideas through EDF (Economic Development Foundation) that I hope bring forth some results,” Patterson said. “We’re very concerned about it. The Whirlpool loss was significant and it’s certainly a blow to the community. It’s one of our main focuses to try to get some of those jobs replaced.”
Patterson said he thinks the overall slowing of the economy has contributed to Lafayette County’s rising unemployment rate.
“We’ve always been pretty insulated from these things,” he said. “We’re in much better shape than a lot of communities, in fact, the vast majority of them. But it still hurts. We’re just feeling the effects from the fallout of the national economy.”
Because of the economic downturn, Patterson said the city of Oxford, which employs some 350 people, is currently filling open positions internally.
“We aren’t actively going outside or looking for new employees. We’re being a little conservative right now, just like everybody else in government,” he said. “If you have a city job now, it’s safe. We haven’t laid off a single person and I don’t anticipate any layoffs.”
Hipp said efforts to attract businesses to Lafayette County are ongoing throughout the year.
“There are people out there, like me, at the state level in regional organizations that are always looking for industrial prospects for our community to make investments,” Hipp said. “When those people show an interest in Oxford we will begin to work with them and present them the information in the format that they want. We show available buildings. We show available sites. We give them tons of information about the work force and the structure of the community.”
Hipp advised those looking for work in Lafayette County to network.
“I would talk to everyone I know,” Hipp said. “I would get out on the streets and run every trap you can run. It’s a competitive world out there and if you don’t ask you never will get a job.”
Clay County and Holmes County had the highest rates in December at 19 percent, while Rankin County had the lowest at 6.8.