COLUMBIA, S.C. - House Speaker Bobby Harrell says for several years the state has been lax in recruiting business, creating jobs and boosting the economy - problems he hopes to help remedy in his new leadership role.

The state's troubles were spotlighted Monday when Standard and Poor's cited slow economic growth and high unemployment as reasons to drop South Carolina's AAA credit rating a notch to AA-plus. The loss of credit prestige also could cost the state more when it borrows money for schools, roads and economic development projects.

The rating agency "gave us a wake-up call by telling us that we better get focused on jobs and job creation in this state," Harrell said Wednesday during an interview with The Associated Press.

When former Govs. Carroll Campbell and David Beasley were in office, those issues were top priorities, said Harrell, a Charleston Republican now in his third week as speaker. However, he said new jobs have been slow to materialize for ex-Gov. Jim Hodges, a Democrat, and current Gov. Mark Sanford, a Republican who has clashed with Harrell and other legislators.

"Since Mark's become governor, I don't think we've picked it (job growth) back up like it was when Carroll Campbell was governor," he said.

Sanford was in meetings Wednesday afternoon. State Commerce Secretary Bob Faith says the governor's working hard on economic development. "I will tell you that I think Gov. Sanford is equally focused" on economic development "and has always been available to me at the drop a hat," Faith said.

The state's list of economic development prospects is growing, Faith said. "Our agency is getting it done," he said. "We are winning more than our fair share of deals."

Harrell said he wasn't assigning blame but rather pointing out that the state has gone from having one of the country's best employment rates to one of the worst.

"My frustration is that I don't think we've been focused on that since Carroll Campbell and David Beasley were governors. I don't mean to pick on Mark, and I don't mean to pick on Jim Hodges," Harrell said.

Campbell took office in 1986 and oversaw the recruitment of major manufacturers and the creation of thousands of jobs during his eight years as governor. Beasley then served a single term and enjoyed economic success, as well, although some of that came on Campbell's coattails.

Faith said the economy and competition in economic development have changed since then. Manufacturers have seen a slow recovery from the 2001 recession and manufacturing jobs were the focus of Campbell's job efforts, Faith said.

Monday's credit rating downgrade means "South Carolina's got to get focused on reducing the unemployment rate and raising the average income," Harrell said. "Those need to be the two priorities of our state for the next decade."

In May, the last month for which figures are available, South Carolina had a 6.3 percent jobless rate - the nation's sixth highest and well above the national rate of 5.1 percent.

While the state should climb out of that hole within a couple of years, it will take longer to raise average incomes, Harrell said.

When the state's credit rating dropped, Sanford and Folks blamed the Legislature, saying lawmakers haven't done enough and failed to adopt the governor's plan to lower the income tax rate for the state's richest residents. Sanford says his proposal would make the state more attractive for small businesses and that wealthy retirees and executives will create jobs and grow the economy.

Harrell, former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, helped Sanford's income tax bill clear the House, but the Senate balked at the program's $1 billion price tag amid criticism that it would do nothing for the average wage earner. Ultimately, the Legislature approved lowering the top income tax rate only for small businesses.

Harrell maintained that legislators have passed plenty of bills to help businesses, create jobs and bolster the economy. His list included bills that limit lawsuits, expand job tax credits and give a variety of breaks for the film industry and users of the state's ports.

"We have done the work putting legislation on the books to do job creation. It's time to stop whining and start working toward bringing jobs into South Carolina," Harrell said.