NC jobless rate slightly up to 8.9 percent in July
Employers in North Carolina shed 13,735 jobs in July, pushing the state's unemployment rate up to 8.9 percent, according to the latest data from the state Department of Commerce.
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More than 417,800 people in the state remain unemployed, up 1,527 from June, and the state's labor force shrank by 12,208, to 4,696,357.
The jobs and labor force numbers released Monday are factors in the calculation of the statewide unemployment rate, which rose from 8.8 percent in June – its first increase since January.
The national jobless rate fell to 7.4 percent in July.
The state agency says North Carolina employers dropped nearly 14,000 jobs from June to July, with the largest decline in the government sector at more than 5,000. Transportation and utility fields and hospitality services saw the largest employment sector gains.
The state rate was 9.5 percent in January but had been slowly declining until now. A year ago, the statewide unemployment rate was 9.6 percent.
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