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 Department of Commerce. The July rate had increased compared to June. The national rate for August was 8.4%.

The state rate for April was 12.9%, which marks the highest seasonally adjusted rate for North Carolina since 1976, when the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics began keeping records in the manner it currently does.

The jobless figures for August, revealed on Friday, mask partly the reduction in the overall number of people in the workforce by almost 72,000 compared to July, falling to 4.83 million people. That could signal that some residents have stopped looking for work. Meanwhile, the overall number of people employed grew by 28,000 compared to July, or to 4.51 million people. Still, almost 388,000 fewer people were working in August compared to August 2019.

About 891,600 North Carolina workers have been approved for unemployment benefits since the pandemic began, the Division of Employment Security said in a release. Nearly $8 billion in federal and state benefits have been disbursed to the qualifying workers.

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Audit: Too Many Payment Errors in Chief NC Jobless Program

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Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS North Carolina’s unemployment rate continued on a downward trek in January, the state Commerce Department announced on Monday, even as regular recalculations of 2021 figures raised slightly recent monthly rates. January’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 3.9% compares to 4.1% in December. The December rate had been announced earlier this year as […]

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Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS North Carolina’s jobless rate for November fell to 3.9%, the state Commerce Department announced on Friday, as employment surged by one measurement released by the agency. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, which compares to 4.1% in October, continued its year-plus long decline after the state’s economy shook off the tightest […]

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 […]

North Carolina Tax Break for Business, Jobless Clears House

Legislation that would provide several hundred million dollars in North Carolina state income tax breaks for businesses and the unemployed received final House approval on Thursday. The bill, which received nearly unanimous support, would allow businesses to deduct from their taxable income expenses they paid for with proceeds from federal Paycheck Protection Program loans issued […]

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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 […]

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A year into the pandemic, North Carolina continues to experience sustained job losses and a slow recovery rate with low-income employees and service sectors being hit the hardest.

$10 Billion in Unemployment Claims Have Been Paid Out in NC

State and federal unemployment benefit payments that have been paid out during the coronavirus pandemic have exceeded $10 billion, according to the N.C. Division of Employment Security. The Winston-Salem Journal reported Tuesday that most of that money was paid out months ago. For instance, more than $8 billion was paid out between late March and the end […]

Pandemic Leads to 2.49 Million Unemployment Claims in NC

The number of people in North Carolina who’ve applied for unemployment benefits since the coronavirus pandemic began is at 1.31 million. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the figure was released Monday in a report from the N.C. Division of Employment Security. The agency said that some people have reached the end of one unemployment benefit program and […]

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 […]

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