NC Recent Unemployment Rate Report

Recently, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Labor and Economic Analysis Division released their report that the state’s unemployment rate fell slightly to 9.6 percent in September, down from 9.7 percent in August.  NC Senator Kay Hagan released a statement following the report and said, “While today’s jobs report is a step in the right direction, it also demonstrates how much work is left to be done. We need to stop the partisan bickering in Washington and focus on action that gets North Carolinians back to work.”  North Carolina’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased 0.1 of a percentage point in September to 9.6 percent.  The major industry with the largest over-the-month increase was Professional & Business Services, which gained 6,000, followed by Construction, adding 1,100 jobs. Since September 2010, North Carolina has gained 79,300 nonfarm jobs. The national rate last month declined 0.3 of a percentage point to 7.8 percent.  North Carolina’s September 2012 unemployment rate is 1.1 percentage point lower than a year ago.