RALEIGH (AP) ó North Carolina’s jobless rate for April was unchanged at 10.8 percent, marking a third straight month the rate was nearly flat and offering hope that the worst of the state’s job losses may be over, the state Employment Security Commission reported Friday.
The jobless rate of 10.8 percent in April and March is still the highest on record since states started the current measuring method in 1976. It was 10.7 percent in February. The state rate in April 2008 was 5.7 percent.
North Carolina’s jobless rate has soared from 7 percent in October.
The national unemployment rate rose to 8.9 percent in April, from 8.5 percent in March.
The fact that North Carolina continues to be a magnet for people looking for work was borne out by data showing an additional 26,042 people held jobs in April compared to March, the ESC said. The state’s labor force has grown by 62,556 in the past year, after adjusting for seasonal differences.
Education and health services jobs continued to show the best prospects as the sector added 4,100 jobs in April. Manufacturing continue to shed jobs, with companies cutting payrolls by 4,600.
The number of jobless North Carolinians decreased by 815 over the month, but that wasn’t enough to change the unemployment rate that reflects 492,785 people were out of work.