N.C.
unemployment rises past the national average
For the first
time in 19 years, the unemployment rate in North Carolina, at
4.4 percent, is higher than the national average, at 4.2
percent. The state Employment Security Commission mainly
attributed the rising unemployment to continuing layoffs in the manufacturing
sector, particularly in textiles, apparel, lumber and
wood products (except furniture) and transportation equipment,
as well as business services in the service-producing sector.
The ESC said employment rose in 51 counties in February, fell
in 44 counties and were unchanged in the five others. Swain County had the state’s highest unemployment
rate, at 20.5 percent. Orange County had the
lowest, at 1.7 percent. Also, total employment crossed the
four million mark for the first time.
And the unemployment rates may get worse. Four companies
with significant operations in North Carolina this week
announced the elimination of more than 2,000 jobs across the
state.
DuPont said it was laying off 750 workers at its Kinston plant
and another 500 at its Cape Fear plant near Wilmington as part
of a plan to cut 5,300 jobs worldwide. In Hickory, broadband
coaxial cable maker CommScope Inc. said it's eliminating about
500 permanent jobs. In Raleigh, fiber optics producer Alcatel
said it's cutting 132 workers and Burlington Industries
announced plans to close its Mount Olive plant June 1,
eliminating 170 jobs.
The unemployment rates for the
Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) for February, compared
with January, were:
Asheville, 3.8 percent, down
from 4.2 percent
Charlotte/Gastonia/Rock Hill,
NC/SC, 4.0 percent, down from 4.2 percent
Fayetteville, 5.3 percent, up
from 4.9 percent
Goldsboro, 4.9 percent, up from
4.7 percent
Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High
Point, 3.9 percent, up from 3.7 percent
Greenville, 5.6 percent, up
from 5.5 percent
Hickory/Morganton/Lenoir, 5.3
percent, up from 4.2 percent
Jacksonville, 4.8 percent, up
from 4.5 percent
Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, 2.3
percent, up from 2.1 percent
Rocky Mount, 6.7 percent, up
from 6.4 percent
Wilmington, 4.3 percent, down
from 4.9 percent
North
Carolina’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for
February was 4.4 percent. It was 4.2
percent in January and 3.5 percent in February 2000. The national
unemployment rate remained at 4.2 percent in February. The
last time North Carolina’s unemployment rate was higher than
the national rate was January 1982.
During the past
year, the N.C. civilian labor force has increased by 84,200 to
4,013,200. Employment in the state has increased 44,700, to
3,837,600. During the same period, North Carolina experienced
a net increase of approximately 72,000 jobs.
ESC continues
to return North Carolina workers to jobs faster than almost
any other state in the nation. Currently, the average time a
North Carolina worker draws unemployment insurance before
returning to work is 9.3 weeks, compared to a national average
of 14 weeks. At the same time, the rate of unemployment tax
paid by N.C. employers is among the lowest in the nation,
while workers receive the highest benefits in the Southeast.
North Carolina
continues to work with educational institutions and local
governments to help displaced workers receive any assistance
the state can give, including unemployment insurance benefits,
training, career counseling, resume-writing assistance, job
development contacts, individual counseling and free internet
job information and governmental services.
Below are the February employment numbers for each county:
County
|
Labor
Force
|
Employed
|
Unemployed
|
Rate
|
|
County
|
Labor
Force
|
Employed
|
Unemployed
|
Rate
|
|
Statewide
|
3964000
|
3772400
|
191600
|
4.8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alamance
|
67280
|
64290
|
2990
|
4.4
|
|
Johnston
|
61690
|
59860
|
1830
|
3.0
|
|
Alexander
|
17460
|
16610
|
850
|
4.9
|
|
Jones
|
4270
|
4000
|
270
|
6.3
|
|
Alleghany
|
5740
|
5050
|
690
|
12.0
|
|
Lee
|
25800
|
24550
|
1250
|
4.8
|
|
Anson
|
10490
|
9480
|
1010
|
9.6
|
|
Lenoir
|
28230
|
26490
|
1740
|
6.2
|
|
Ashe
|
11030
|
10070
|
960
|
8.7
|
|
Lincoln
|
34430
|
31960
|
2470
|
7.2
|
|
Avery
|
7750
|
7360
|
390
|
5.0
|
|
Macon
|
13330
|
12430
|
900
|
6.8
|
|
Beaufort
|
19200
|
17420
|
1780
|
9.3
|
|
Madison
|
9130
|
8680
|
450
|
4.9
|
|
Bertie
|
8800
|
7940
|
860
|
9.8
|
|
Martin
|
10500
|
9570
|
930
|
8.9
|
|
Bladen
|
19540
|
18370
|
1170
|
6.0
|
|
McDowell
|
19600
|
18460
|
1140
|
5.8
|
|
Brunswick
|
34310
|
32360
|
1950
|
5.7
|
|
Mecklenburg
|
383530
|
372320
|
11210
|
2.9
|
|
Buncombe
|
102330
|
98600
|
3730
|
3.6
|
|
Mitchell
|
7350
|
6570
|
780
|
10.6
|
|
Burke
|
43500
|
40930
|
2570
|
5.9
|
|
Montgomery
|
12200
|
11150
|
1050
|
8.6
|
|
Cabarrus
|
70650
|
68280
|
2370
|
3.4
|
|
Moore
|
29530
|
27710
|
1820
|
6.2
|
|
Caldwell
|
40710
|
38750
|
1960
|
4.8
|
|
Nash
|
42120
|
39670
|
2450
|
5.8
|
|
Camden
|
3190
|
3030
|
160
|
5.0
|
|
N. Hanover
|
81460
|
78390
|
3070
|
3.8
|
|
Carteret
|
28680
|
26760
|
1920
|
6.7
|
|
Northampton
|
8180
|
7420
|
760
|
9.3
|
|
Caswell
|
13030
|
12460
|
570
|
4.4
|
|
Onslow
|
47030
|
44790
|
2240
|
4.8
|
|
Catawba
|
75860
|
71820
|
4040
|
5.3
|
|
Orange
|
64660
|
63550
|
1110
|
1.7
|
|
Chatham
|
27010
|
26430
|
580
|
2.1
|
|
Pamlico
|
5330
|
5020
|
310
|
5.8
|
|
Cherokee
|
11590
|
10210
|
1380
|
11.9
|
|
Pasquotank
|
14980
|
14130
|
850
|
5.7
|
|
Chowan
|
6470
|
6160
|
310
|
4.8
|
|
Pender
|
16270
|
15400
|
870
|
5.3
|
|
Clay
|
4030
|
3850
|
180
|
4.5
|
|
Perquimans
|
4730
|
4470
|
260
|
5.5
|
|
Cleveland
|
44200
|
40580
|
3620
|
8.2
|
|
Person
|
17250
|
15920
|
1330
|
7.7
|
|
Columbus
|
21680
|
19410
|
2270
|
10.5
|
|
Pitt
|
66750
|
63010
|
3740
|
5.6
|
|
Craven
|
35430
|
33700
|
1730
|
4.9
|
|
Polk
|
7720
|
7500
|
220
|
2.8
|
|
Cumberland
|
118540
|
112280
|
6260
|
5.3
|
|
Randolph
|
71900
|
68800
|
3100
|
4.3
|
|
Currituck
|
9130
|
8680
|
450
|
4.9
|
|
Richmond
|
18920
|
17120
|
1800
|
9.5
|
|
Dare
|
15570
|
13170
|
2400
|
15.4
|
|
Robeson
|
52150
|
47070
|
5080
|
9.7
|
|
Davidson
|
80190
|
76980
|
3210
|
4.0
|
|
Rockingham
|
44010
|
40970
|
3040
|
6.9
|
|
Davie
|
17910
|
17140
|
770
|
4.3
|
|
Rowan
|
69700
|
65420
|
4280
|
6.1
|
|
Duplin
|
21400
|
19960
|
1440
|
6.7
|
|
Rutherford
|
28140
|
26110
|
2030
|
7.2
|
|
Durham
|
117890
|
114480
|
3410
|
2.9
|
|
Sampson
|
22600
|
21300
|
1300
|
5.8
|
|
Edgecombe
|
23660
|
21670
|
1990
|
8.4
|
|
Scotland
|
17200
|
15610
|
1590
|
9.2
|
|
Forsyth
|
153030
|
147890
|
5140
|
3.4
|
|
Stanly
|
27220
|
25230
|
1990
|
7.3
|
|
Franklin
|
23940
|
23130
|
810
|
3.4
|
|
Stokes
|
23610
|
22460
|
1150
|
4.9
|
|
Gaston
|
106220
|
98610
|
7610
|
7.2
|
|
Surry
|
34080
|
31700
|
2380
|
7.0
|
|
Gates
|
4650
|
4450
|
200
|
4.3
|
|
Swain
|
5470
|
4350
|
1120
|
20.5
|
|
Graham
|
3860
|
3280
|
580
|
15.0
|
|
Transylvania
|
10970
|
10490
|
480
|
4.4
|
|
Granville
|
22760
|
21540
|
1220
|
5.4
|
|
Tyrrell
|
1540
|
1300
|
240
|
15.6
|
|
Greene
|
8700
|
8280
|
420
|
4.8
|
|
Union
|
64150
|
62390
|
1760
|
2.7
|
|
Guilford
|
220070
|
212030
|
8040
|
3.7
|
|
Vance
|
19450
|
17630
|
1820
|
9.4
|
|
Halifax
|
22330
|
19890
|
2440
|
10.9
|
|
Wake
|
356900
|
349710
|
7190
|
2.0
|
|
Harnett
|
36390
|
34000
|
2390
|
6.6
|
|
Warren
|
7130
|
6560
|
570
|
8.0
|
|
Haywood
|
22880
|
21270
|
1610
|
7.0
|
|
Washington
|
5870
|
5430
|
440
|
7.5
|
|
Henderson
|
37450
|
36230
|
1220
|
3.3
|
|
Watauga
|
24340
|
23780
|
560
|
2.3
|
|
Hertford
|
10700
|
9830
|
870
|
8.1
|
|
Wayne
|
48570
|
46190
|
2380
|
4.9
|
|
Hoke
|
11480
|
10640
|
840
|
7.3
|
|
Wilkes
|
32100
|
30310
|
1790
|
5.6
|
|
Hyde
|
2770
|
2370
|
400
|
14.4
|
|
Wilson
|
35980
|
33330
|
2650
|
7.4
|
|
Iredell
|
63850
|
60740
|
3110
|
4.9
|
|
Yadkin
|
18700
|
17670
|
1030
|
5.5
|
|
Jackson
|
15170
|
14260
|
910
|
6.0
|
|
Yancey
|
6790
|
5760
|
1030
|
15.2
|
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