North Carolina’s unemployment rate ballooned to just over 12% in April as the state dealt with a coronavirus-related economic slowdown, state officials said Friday.

The rate represents a nearly 8 point increase from the rate in March, which had been around 4 percent. The national rate for April was 14.7%.

The number of people classified as unemployed grew by nearly 360,000, more than doubling the number in March.

The industry hit the hardest was leisure and hospitality, which declined by about 250,000 over the month. Employment in education and health services fell by about 60,000.

The numbers were released as the state prepares to loosen some business restrictions as part of the second phase of a tiered reopening. The changes taking effect Friday will allow restaurants to serve dine-in patrons and barbers and hair salons to cut hair, all under social distancing and cleaning requirements. Some businesses including bars and gyms must remain closed.

On Friday, health officials reported more than 21,600 virus cases statewide, an increase of about 750 from the previous day. There are about 730 deaths and 570 hospitalizations.

Also on Friday, state House Speaker Tim Moore announced a bipartisan bill to increase funding and flexibility for elections officials as they prepare for people to cast votes in the 2020 election season while facing pandemic-related challenges. The bill sponsored by two Republicans and two Democrats reduces the amount of witnesses needed for absentee ballot submissions from two to one, increases means of requesting absentee ballots including an online portal, provides federal funds for in-person voting and increases flexibility for recruiting precinct officials.

Related Stories
‹
Infectious Disease Experts: COVID-19 Presents Challenges to Tracing, Screening
North Carolina’s trends indicate the spread of COVID-19 is being mitigated. But medical experts are warning about the challenges the state and country will face when containing the virus as they are gradually opened back up. State health officials and leaders have said there will be a ‘new normal’ for residents when the state begins to […]
Tracking the Number of Coronavirus Cases in North Carolina
North Carolina Shatters Single-Day Record With 10,000 New COVID-19 Cases
North Carolina reported 10,398 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, shattering the single-day record for new cases as the state continues to see a significant spread of the virus. North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services reports a total of 592,746 coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, the state reported 137 […]
NC Introduces COVID-19 County Alert System Amid Record Hospitalizations
Governor Cooper announced that North Carolina is introducing a county alert system to identify counties with the highest levels of COVID-19 community spread.
North Carolina Reports Highest Single-Day Increase in COVID-19 Cases
North Carolina reported 2,532 new coronavirus cases on Thursday — the highest single-day increase in cases since the pandemic began. Data from North Carolina Health and Human Services revealed the increase, marking a new high as North Carolina has seen recent steep increases in positive COVID-19 cases. The department reports the state has experienced an increase […]
North Carolina to Relax 10-Person Limit for GOP Convention
North Carolina will ease gathering restrictions for the Republican National Convention in Charlotte this month after a push by the national party for the state to be more accommodating. But the Aug. 21-24 event culminating in President Donald Trump’s nomination will be nothing like conventions of previous years in which prominent politicians and party leaders […]
Bill to Reopen NC Gyms, Bars Sent to Skeptical Governor After Passing House
The North Carolina legislature passed another bill on Wednesday overturning parts of Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order that keep certain businesses closed to discourage the spread of COVID-19. As with previous legislation sent to him seeking to reopen bars, Cooper is also likely to veto the latest measure, which also ends the shuttering of gyms […]
Trump Threatens to Move RNC Without Assurances from Governor Cooper
President Donald Trump threatened Monday to pull the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina if the state’s Democratic governor doesn’t immediately sign off on allowing a full-capacity gathering in August despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Trump’s tweets about the RNC, planned for Charlotte, come just two days after North Carolina recorded its largest daily increase in […]
N.C. Farmers Start Euthanizing 1.5M Chickens Amid Pandemic
Coronavirus outbreaks at meat processing plants are forcing North Carolina farmers to euthanize 1.5 million chickens, according to a state official. Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Joe Reardon told The News & Observer that this is the first time during the pandemic that North Carolina farmers have had to euthanize their animals. Roughly a third of the […]
North Carolina Jobless Rate Increases to 12% Amid COVID-19
North Carolina’s unemployment rate ballooned to just over 12% in April as the state dealt with a coronavirus-related economic slowdown, state officials said Friday. The rate represents a nearly 8 point increase from the rate in March, which had been around 4 percent. The national rate for April was 14.7%. The number of people classified […]
›