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 3.7%. But the department has since revised last year’s monthly totals, which is done annually. It resulted in a new, higher percentage for December. Some rates in early 2021 are now lower than they were previously.

When the recalculated rates are used, North Carolina still hasn’t logged a month-over-month rising unemployment rate since September 2020.

Using new totals, the department reported 25,100 additional people were employed in January compared to December, or 4.81 million overall. And those unemployed fell by 9,600 to below 197,500, according to a department news release.

According to another counting format the department releases that is based on monthly worksite surveys, seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment rose by 4,100 to about 4.66 million. Professional and business services, construction and the financial activities sectors saw the largest employment increases.

 

Related Stories
‹
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 […]
Audit: NC Pandemic Aid Managers Fell Short Keeping up on $3B
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration failed to thoroughly monitor how $3.1 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds it oversaw last year were being used, increasing the risk for misuse, a state audit said Thursday. The report from State Auditor Beth Wood’s office focuses on federal funds that the state received toward COVID-19 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Head of N.C. Unemployment Office Replaced by Ex-Legislator
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper replaced the head of the state unemployment benefits office on Wednesday with a former legislator as the agency struggles to address an unprecedented onslaught of pandemic-related job loss claims. Cooper’s Commerce Department announced that Pryor Gibson, who has recently operated a department program to help revive small-town economies, is the […]
North Carolina DMV Audit Recommends Reforms To Reverse Customer Wait Times, Worker Morale
State Auditor Dave Boliek on Monday released two audits totaling nearly 600 pages that scrutinize the North Carolina DMV and offer changes.
Applications for US Jobless Aid Rise by Most in 5 Months
Written by MATT OTT The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week jumped by the most in five months, but layoffs remain historically low as the labor market continues to be largely unaffected by the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes. Applications for jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending March 4 […]
North Carolina Unemployment Rate 3.9% For January
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 […]
›