Source: North Carolina Department of Commerce

Raleigh, N.C. – The state’s seasonally adjustedSeasonal adjustment is a statistical technique that attempts to measure and remove the influences of predictable seasonal patterns to reveal how employment and unemployment change from month to month.

Over the course of a year, the size of the labor force, the levels of employment and unemployment, and other measures of labor market activity undergo fluctuations due to seasonal events including changes in weather, harvests, major holidays, and school schedules. Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each year, their influence on statistical trends can be eliminated by seasonally adjusting the statistics from month to month.

These seasonal adjustments make it easier to observe the cyclical, underlying trend, and other nonseasonal movements in the series.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics April 2024 unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, unchanged from March’s revised rate. The national rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point to 3.9 percent.

North Carolina’s unemployment rate increased 0.2 of a percentage point from a year ago. The number of people employed increased 1,200 over the month to 5,075,803 and increased 28,573 over the year. The number of people unemployed increased 1,202 over the month to 186,723 and increased 14,527 over the year.                                                                                 

Seasonally adjusted Total Nonfarm employment, as gathered through the monthly establishment survey, increased 10,200 to 4,987,900 in April. Major industries experiencing increases were Trade, Transportation & Utilities, 2,700; Government, 2,000; Financial Activities, 1,700; Professional & Business Services, 1,700; Leisure & Hospitality Services, 1,500; Construction, 900; Education & Health Services, 300; and Other Services, 200. Major industries experiencing decreases were Manufacturing, 700; and Information, 100. Mining & Logging employment remained unchanged.

Since April 2023, Total Nonfarm jobs increased 61,400 with the Total Private sector increasing by 46,000 and Government increasing by 15,400. Major industries experiencing increases were Education & Health Services, 20,100; Government, 15,400; Leisure & Hospitality Services, 13,800; Construction, 9,800; Financial Activities, 7,300; Other Services, 4,200; Professional & Business Services, 2,300; and Mining & Logging, 100. Major industries experiencing decreases were Manufacturing, 5,500; Information, 3,700; and Trade, Transportation & Utilities, 2,400.