Complex sentence: Many of the middle-income citizens in Greenwood also experienced lay offs and cutbacks due to the recession; as a result, many of these middle-class individuals were forced to settle for jobs that they would not ordinarily take.
Split into simpler sentences: Many of the middle-income citizens in Greenwood also experienced lay offs and cutbacks due to the recession. Because of this, many of these middle-class individuals were forced to settle for jobs that they would not ordinarily take.