Wilkes JobLink Career Center
312 Wilkesboro Avenue
North Wilkesboro, NC 28659
(336) 651-2540
(336) 651-2558 FAX
Wilkes JobLink Career Center Partner Site at Goodwill Industries Career Connections
1821 Highway 421
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
(336) 667-0889
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N.C.’s Unemployment Rate Increases To 11.2 Percent
(January 22, 2010) North Carolina’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 11.2 percent in December, an increase of 0.5 of a percentage point from a revised 10.7 percent in November and 3.1 percentage points higher than December 2008, according to statistics released by the Employment Security Commission.
Total non-farm industry employment decreased by 2,400 jobs over the past month and has decreased by 124,200 since December 2008—to 3,924,000. The largest over-the-month increase occurred in Professional & Business Services (+1,900). The largest decrease was in Leisure and Hospitality (-2,600).
Over the month, the number of persons employed decreased 31,338 (0.8%), as those unemployed increased by 19,022 (3.9%). This resulted in a decline in the civilian labor force of 12,316 to 4,522,321. The seasonally adjusted labor force participation rate reflects the percentage of working-age population who are either employed or unemployed and actively seeking work.
Since this time last year, unemployment has increased by 136,266 people. Employment is down by 191,258 workers since December 2008. The state rate in December 2008 was 8.1 percent.
Nationwide, unemployment rates rose in 43 states in December, and the Associated Press reports that North Carolina, along with South Carolina, Delaware, and Florida, reported record-high jobless rates in December.
Since the start of the recession in December 2007, North Carolina’s labor force has decreased 0.1 percent while the nation’s fell 0.5 percent. N.C. employment has fallen 6.6 percent compared to 5.7 percent nationally, while unemployment has increased 124.0 percent in North Carolina and 98.4 percent nationwide. The current recession is in its 24th month of contraction in comparison to the July 1990–March 1991 and March 2001–November 2001 recessions that both lasted eight months.
The Employment Security Commission will release county unemployment rates for December on Friday, January 29.
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