FORT MILLS, S.C. (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry is likening front-runner Mitt Romney’s former private equity firm to “vultures” that ruin workers’ lives.

Perry is sharpening his attack in hopes of drawing a clearer contrast on jobs with Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who touts his business credentials. The issue has special salience in South Carolina, where unemployment is high.

Addressing a retiree community in South Carolina, Perry criticized Romney’s Bain Capital firm for two business deals that caused job losses in the state. He said private equity firms are “just vultures” that feed off sick companies no matter the human toll.

Perry often boasts of fostering the addition of a million jobs as Texas governor.

Perry was alone in South Carolina Tuesday while his rivals were in New Hampshire for the primary.

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