North Carolina’s seasonally adjusted December unemployment rate was 3.7 percent, decreasing 0.1 of a percentage point from November’s revised rate. The national rate remained unchanged at 3.5 percent.
In construction and manufacturing sectors, the numbers have flat-lined, according to the Current Employment Statistics, a monthly survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The survey shows that North Carolina construction employment in 2019 was essentially flat, and the state lost approximately 2,000 manufacturing jobs last year.
While construction employment remained unchanged in November, major industries experiencing decreases were Professional & Business Services, 6,400; Trade, Transportation & Utilities, 1,100; Government, 900; and Mining & Logging, 100.
North Carolina’s December 2019 unemployment rate remained unchanged from a year ago. The number of people employed increased 7,227 over the month to 4,939,767 and increased 137,509 over the year.
The number of people unemployed decreased 6,432 over the month to 191,019 and increased 5,095 over the year.
Seasonally adjusted Total Nonfarm industry employment, as gathered through the monthly establishment survey, increased 300 to 4,593,600 in December.
The major industries with the largest over-the-month increases were Leisure & Hospitality Services, 5,600; Financial Activities, 1,200; Information, 900; Other Services, 600; Education & Health Services, 400; and Manufacturing, 100.
| Dec 2018 | Jan 2019 | Feb 2019 | Mar 2019 | Apr 2019 | May 2019 | June 2019 | July 2019 | August 2019 | Sep 2019 | Oct 2019 | Nov 2019 | Dec 2019 | |
| N.C. | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| U.S. | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
The next unemployment update is scheduled for Wednesday, February 5, 2020 when the county unemployment rates for December 2019 will be released