MARLBORO COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Marlboro County’s new administrator says local leaders have been working with the state Department of Commerce and the Northeastern Strategic Alliance to help with economic development and curb the county’s unemployment rate, which is the highest in South Carolina.
Tony Clyburn, who took over as county administrator in July, addressed the issue with News13 after U.S. Labor Department statistics showed the county’s unemployment rate was 6.2% in August.
News13 talked to several people, who said they are having trouble finding jobs and are homeless. Clyburn said the county is trying to help by developing the workforce to ensure that the community is equipped to land new jobs.
He also said the county is working to build more residential areas to attract bigger businesses.
“That’s one of the reasons why industries don’t locate in some of these areas is because they don’t have enough residences,” Clyburn said. “So, we’re working on all different fronts to make sure we are making Marlboro County attractive for new industries and also remain attractive for our existing industries.”
Clyburn said the county plans to announce new industries that they’ve been working with to bring to the area in the future.
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Aundrea Gibbons joined the News13 team in May 2023 after graduating from Clemson University with bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and communication. Aundrea is a Marion native and graduated as salutatorian in 2019. Follow Aundrea on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here.
