While the jobs picture in Cherokee County couldn’t be considered rosy through the first five months of the year, at least the jobless rate was heading in the right direction — downward.

On Friday, however, the latest jobs data from the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce showed Cherokee County’s unemployment rate has now risen for a second month in a row.

State labor analysts now estimate that Cherokee County had an unemployment rate of 14.8 percent in July, up three tenths of a percentage point from a revised June rate of 14.5 percent. The jobless rate is now up a full percentage point since May, when the rate had dropped to as low as 13.8 percent, but still remains down considerably from a year ago when the rate stood at 17 percent.

Though the estimated number of jobless Cherokee County residents held steady from June to July at 3,696, a labor analysis shows the county’s workforce declined by more than 300 people month over month — signifying that people who have been unable to find work in a still tough economy simply are dropping out of the labor market by giving up their job search.

Such trends are not only being seen on the county level, but also on the state and national levels as well.

South Carolina’s July unemployment rate was estimated at 10.8 percent, an increase of one tenth of a percentage point from the June rate of 10.7 percent. The state’s labor force, meanwhile, was estimated to have dropped by 6,862 workers.

The July figures represented the first unemployment rate increase for South Carolina since the beginning of 2010, though the state’s labor force had been dropping for five consecutive months.

“The data released today give a continuing picture of a deteriorating employment market,” Dr. Bruce Yandle, dean emeritus of Clemson University’s College of Business & Behavioral Science and director of the Strom Thurmond Institute Economic Outlook Project, responded on Friday when asked about the latest numbers. “South Carolina suffers from the twin problem or rising unemployment and discouraged workers,” he said. “South Carolina’s picture reflects the stalled U.S. economy.”

While growth still is being seen on the national level, Yandle said the pace of growth has slowed. “Even so,” he added, “there is reason to be optimistic about the state’s 2010-2011 outlook. National industrial production is rising and S.C. Total Personal Income growth follows closely the production pattern.”

Though the jobs data indicates a lack of hiring activity, workers at the Gaffney Workforce Center are seeing the opposite. Mary Ann Smalley, placement supervisor at the workforce center, said she and other staff members have been busy posting new jobs and talking with employers.

There are about 90 jobs postings locally and 241 postings for jobs within a 25-mile radius of Gaffney, she said, and several jobs fairs have been held at the workforce center recently for companies looking to hire.

Many of the new job postings are in the manufacturing sector, she added, and many postings are for more than one employee.

“It’s a positive sign,” she said.

When manufacturing jobs pick up, she said, other types of jobs can follow.