North Carolina’s unemployment rate fell below 6% during January, government officials said on Monday, although jobless figures remain well above those recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic contracted commerce.

January’s 5.9% seasonally adjusted rate compares to 6.1% for December, the state Commerce Department said in a news release. The U.S. unemployment rate was 6.3% in January. The state rate peaked during the pandemic at 13.5%, recorded for both last April and May.

Employed workers in the overall state labor force increased by nearly 9,900 during January to 4.74 million people, according to the department. While the number of unemployed fell by 11,300 since December to 297,600, the total is still 118,000 above the total of unemployed in January 2020.

Among non-farm employment, the construction and the information and communications industries led the way in employment growth, according to department data. Categories of government and education and health industries recorded the largest employment declines.

The pandemic peak rate of 13.5% is higher than the previously announced top rate of 12.9% from last April. That’s because the monthly rates in 2020 have undergone their annual revisions, resulting in adjustments, the department said.

 

Photo via AP Photo/LM Otero.

 

Related Stories
‹
N. Carolina Jobless Rate Inches Closer to Pre-Pandemic Level
North Carolina’s unemployment rate fell for the 10th consecutive month in July, the state Commerce Department reported on Friday, inching the percentage ever closer to pre-pandemic levels. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 4.4% came as the number of employed rose by 8,360 workers compared to June, when the rate was 4.6%. The national rate […]
North Carolina Unemployment Rate Falls to 5.2% In March
North Carolina’s unemployment rate fell sharply in March, state officials announced on Friday, as the number of people holding jobs grew by over 11,000 compared to the month before. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate decreased from 5.7% in February to 5.2%, the state Commerce Department said in a news release, marking sixth consecutive month of […]
After 4-Month Lull, Low NC Unemployment Rate Rises Slightly
Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS North Carolina’s historically low unemployment rate rose slightly in August, the state Commerce Department reported on Friday. Last month’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.5% — ending a four-month run in which the rate stood at 3.4%. For now, the August rate marks the first monthly increase since April 2020, when […]
North Carolina Unemployment Rate Drops to 4.1% in October
Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS North Carolina’s jobless rate fell further in October to 4.1%, the state Commerce Department said on Friday, as the overall number of people employed kept growing. The seasonally adjusted rate compares to a revised September rate of 4.3%. The number of people employed in the state grew in October by […]
NC Unemployment Now on 12-Month Streak of Lower Rates
Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS North Carolina’s unemployment rate has now declined every month for the past year, with September’s jobless figure falling to 4.2%, the state Commerce Department announced Friday. The seasonally adjusted rate, which compares to 4.3% unemployment during August, comes as the number of additional employed workers again outpaced the additional number […]
North Carolina Jobless Rate Falls for Ninth Straight Month
More people entered North Carolina’s labor force and were hired in June compared to the month before, according to state officials who announced the unemployment rate fell for the ninth consecutive month. The number of people working in June grew by 12,600 compared to May, to 4.77 million workers overall, while the overall labor force […]
NC Jobless Rate Now 5%; 7th Consecutive Monthly Decline
North Carolina’s unemployment rate has reached another COVID-19 post-lockdown low, even as overall job growth is somewhat uneven. April’s seasonally adjusted state jobless rate of 5% marks a decline for a seventh consecutive month, according to the state Commerce Department. It compares to the top pandemic rate of 13.5% recorded in both April 2020 and […]
NC Jobless Rate Falls in February for 5th Straight Month
North Carolina’s unemployment rate fell for the fifth consecutive month in February, the state Commerce Department said on Friday, as the state economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 recession. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 5.7%, compared to 5.9% in January. The state unemployment rate spiked at 13.5% last spring as Gov. Roy Cooper […]
North Carolina's Unemployment Rate Rises to 7.3% in September
North Carolina’s unemployment rate rose in September, state officials announced on Tuesday, as the number of additional jobs filled didn’t keep pace with people returning to the workforce as pandemic restrictions were lifted further. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 7.3% compares to 6.5% in August, the state Department of Commerce said in a news […]
NC Unemployment Rate Falls to Nearly Half of Lockdown's Peak
North Carolina’s unemployment rate dropped markedly in August, according to state figures, falling to nearly half the record rate during the spring at the height of business and movement restrictions issued during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 6.5% jobless rate is 2 percentage points lower than the seasonally adjusted rate in July, according to the state […]
›