N.C. jobless rate climbs to 7 percent

By John Murawski
(Raleigh) News & Observer

Posted: Friday, Oct. 17, 2008

Statewide unemployment hit 7 percent in September, the highest since January 2002, as the fallout from the national economic downturn seeps deeper.

September was the ninth consecutive month in which state joblessness increased, rising from 6.9 percent in August. And statewide unemployment is higher than the national average, which stood at 6.1 percent last month.

The September data was released this morning by the N.C. Employment Security Commission. Data for the Triangle will be released next week. This region traditionally performs better than the statewide and national averages.

Though it's one of the strongest regional economies in the country, North Carolina is not immune to the forces that are roiling the global economy, even as far as Iceland. As the worldwide economy cools, local businesses produce fewer goods and services and lay off employees.

The state statistics also show that even as joblessness increased, the number of people employed also rose. Last month, 4.26 million people in the state had jobs, which is 6,668 more than in August. But it's still down from the total number of people employed a year ago in September.