RALEIGH – North Carolina’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to its lowest point in more than four years in April, according to figures released Friday by the NC Department of Commerce.

The jobless rate fell 0.3 to 8.9 percent in the first month of the second quarter of 2013, which equals the January 2009 rate. That marked the mid-way point of a steep incline in reports of unemployment since the beginning of the Great Recession. The uptick began around the five-percent mark in early 2008 and climbed to 11.3 percent in just more than a year. The fall has been much slower.

The country’s unemployment numbers were also positive in April, dropping 0.1 to 7.5 percent. The entire country saw the same trend in jobless reports, but only peaked at 10 percent and has since seen a slightly quicker decent.

County-by-county numbers for April are scheduled to be released Wednesday, May 29. Orange County has remained the leader in positive unemployment numbers since November 2012.

 

NC April 2013 Unemployment Rate – DoC