The Lead Feed

September 15 - October 15, 2021 has been declared Hispanic Heritage Month in North Carolina.  This entry shares some information on the latest population and labor force data.

Interconnected labor markets are clusters of counties that have a sufficient level of inter-county commuting. This post introduces this concept, how these markets were determined and what they look like, and the policy implications of these geographies.

North Carolina’s economy has grown in the past 30 years, but in what industries, and by how much?

In August, not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates decreased in 93 of North Carolina's 100 counties.

North Carolina's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from July’s revised rate of 4.4 percent.

Childcare? Affordable housing? Healthy communities? Productive work environments? These may not sound like traditional topics of a state economic development plan; but these are not traditional times.  

In July, not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates decreased in 99 of North Carolina's 100 counties.

North Carolina's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from June’s revised rate of 4.6 percent.

In June, not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates increased in 99 of North Carolina's 100 counties.

North Carolina's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from May’s revised rate of 4.8 percent.

A journey that started well over two years ago reached an important milestone on July 15, 2021, which marked one year from when the NEW NCcarers.org was officially launched. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to record-high job losses across the nation. However, throughout much of the pandemic, employers have reported difficulty finding the workers they need to fill open positions. How can we explain this apparent contradiction? This article uses newly released data from North Carolina’s Labor Supply and Demand Dashboard to illustrate the trends underlying this unprecedented combination of mass layoffs and labor shortages.

The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) is a valuable source of data on North Carolina’s workforce. However, like most data series, QCEW data are periodically revised to incorporate improved estimation methodologies or to expand the information offered to data users. This article describes upcoming changes to North Carolina’s QCEW data and explains what these changes mean for you.

In May, not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates increased in 77 of North Carolina's 100 counties.

North Carolina's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from April’s revised rate of 5.0 percent.