North Carolina’s leisure and hospitality industry continued to lead the state’s job growth over the past 12 months, while the percentage of residents who sought unemployment benefits this April was up slightly from a year ago.
According to the latest report from the state Commerce Department, Leisure and Hospitality has added 29,200 employees between April 2022 and 2023 to lead all private industries.
Total Nonfarm jobs increased over the previous 12 months by 117,100, with the Total Private sector increasing by 110,600 and Government increasing by 6,500.
Other major industries experiencing increases were Education & Health Services, 27,700; Professional & Business Services, 17,100; Other Services, 9,400; Construction, 8,000; Trade, Transportation & Utilities, 6,700; Government, 6,500; Financial Activities, 6,100; Manufacturing, 3,400; and Information, 3,100.
The only major industry experiencing a decrease over the year was Mining & Logging, 100.
N.C. State economist Dr. Mike Walden, who has moved ever closer to forecasting a recession- perhaps one without loss of jobs – told WRAL Techwire the report is “positive.”
“The continuing strength of the job market is based on two factors – the enormous vitality of the NC economy, and the on-going recovery from COVID,” Walden said.
The state’s seasonally adjusted April 2023 unemployment rate was 3.4 percent, decreasing 0.1 of a percentage point from March’s revised rate. The national rate decreased 0.1 of a percentage point to 3.4 percent.
North Carolina’s unemployment rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point from a year ago. The number of people employed increased 16,200 over the month to 5,012,688 and increased 24,183 over the year.
The number of people unemployed decreased 4,221 over the month to 178,853 and increased 6,517 over the year.
On the month-to-month side, seasonally adjusted Total Nonfarm employment, as gathered through the monthly establishment survey, increased 3,600 to 4,891,300 in April.
Major industries experiencing increases were Education & Health Services, 3,000; Trade, Transportation & Utilities, 3,000; Financial Activities, 1,200; Other Services, 700; and Construction, 300.
Major industries experiencing decreases were Professional & Business Services, 1,800; Leisure & Hospitality Services, 1,400; Manufacturing, 1,100; Information, 200; and Government, 100. Mining & Logging employment remained unchanged.