More at work but more still looking

Though the unemployment rate rose slightly to 11.6 percent in Brevard County last month, 833 more people were working than in June.Some of the increase in the job total is coming from small high-tech and defense businesses on the Space Coast, a welcome sign for an economy that faces the loss of an estimated 8,000 aerospace jobs when the space shuttle program ends next year.

"We're hiring folks with very high assembly skills on the manufacturing floor," said Matt Smith-Meck, vice president for business development and planning at Symetrics, a Melbourne defense contractor. "We're hiring engineers."Since May, the 182-employee company has added 30 workers and plans to hire another 20 before year's end. Symetrics builds defensive flares and data modems for military aircraft.

"We're not one of the big boys, so we're not having the draconian cuts because of high overhead," Smith-Meck said. He added that the company hasn't struggled to find skilled workers. "We're seeing an uptick in the ability to go out and get good quality, high-caliber workers," Smith-Meck said. Kelly Services, an agency that fills orders for temporary workers, also reported an increase in requests for technicians and skilled assembly workers in Melbourne. Even information giant Harris Corp. in Melbourne is hiring. The company, however, is only hiring to counteract normal attrition and keep its workforce stable at around 6,500, said spokesman Jim Burke.

But despite the job growth, Brevard's unemployment rate rose to 11.6 in July from 11.4 in June, according to figures released by the state Agency for Workforce Innovation. In July, the number of people working in the county grew by 833 to 239,031, while the number of those listed as unemployed grew by 544 to 31,264. That may reflect some unemployed attempting to re-enter the job market.

Across the state, 5,700 more people were working in July than in the previous month, even though the unemployment rate rose .1 percentage point to 11.5 percent. This growth is the first yearly increase in jobs since June 2007, according to state figures. Still, some 1,055,000 remain jobless out of a statewide labor force of 9,214,000. About a quarter of the unemployed have qualified for extended unemployment benefits. 

"Throughout July, we were pleased to see job growth in several industries including government jobs, education and health care," Brevard Workforce President Lisa Rice said. "And while those are positive signs of an improving economy, we still face impending layoffs due to changes in the space program, which will greatly affect us going forward."In October, space industry giant United Space Alliance expects to let go 900 shuttle workers at Kennedy Space Center.