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NC unemployment rate dips to six-year low

Job gains and a sharp decrease in the number of people listed as unemployed helped push North Carolina's unemployment rate in November to a six-and-a-half year low of 5.8 percent, according to data released Friday by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Job gains and a sharp decrease in the number of people listed as unemployed helped push North Carolina's unemployment rate in November to a six-and-a-half year low of 5.8 percent, according to data released Friday by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

North Carolina's unemployment rate is now even with the national unemployment rate, which was also 5.8 percent in November.

Employers added more than 16,000 people to their rolls last month, and the number of people listed as unemployed fell by 23,498, to 270,675.

The state's labor force – the number of people employed plus those actively looking for work – fell by 12,534 in November, to 4,633,488.

Trade, transportation and utilities and manufacturing industries saw big gains during the month. Private employers added nearly 15,000 jobs, while education and health services and financial activities were the only sectors to record losses.

Gov. Pat McCrory said in a statement Friday that the state's economy is getting stronger each month.

"We have seen 176,000 jobs added since I entered office and a three-point drop in the unemployment rate, but there is still a lot of work to be done," he said. "I look forward to the upcoming year and continuing to pursue policies that set North Carolina up for success."

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