By Emery P. Dalesio
RALEIGH, N.C.
North Carolina's unemployment rate climbed to 11.1 percent in May — hitting a new peak since the state started such measurements more than three decades ago, the state Employment Security Commission said today.
The number of unemployed North Carolinians topped 500,000 — an all-time high. The state's jobless rate a year ago was 5.9 percent.
Just six states had higher unemployment rates in May, with Michigan leading the country at 14.1 percent in May and South Carolina fourth at 12.1 percent. Forty-eight states and Washington, D.C., recorded unemployment rate increases in May compared to April.
"While we continue to have job announcements in areas across North Carolina, we are still experiencing some job losses in many job sectors, this also being seen across the country," ESC Chairman Moses Carey said.
After a long run in which government employment had some of the best job security, the sector shed 4,000 employees in May. Manufacturing continued to suffer as companies cut 3,800 workers.
Since the start of the recession in December 2007, North Carolina's manufacturing companies have cut nearly 16 percent of their work force.
Hotels, amusement parks and other companies in the leisure and hospitality sector added 2,900 jobs in the buildup to summer.
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taxes pay for jobs
There are a lot of older residents here in Dare county who are against raising taxes.A good percentage are retired and are not poor,you cannot live here and be a homeowner if you are poor.Taxes here are very low,and a few dollars more from each homeowner would have saved 17 teaching jobs and countless other state and county jobs.but guess what?The dare commissioners are not younguns.Peer pressure,i guess.Never mind we are going to pay anyway,these people are now all on unemployment,and our student education will definitely suffer.Factor in a few more foreclosures(what else can teachers do but teach)and there you go.We must be willing to pay for these services.Wake up,officials,and look at the BIG picture.
Hmm
Maybe we should bring some more Europeans over to take jobs that are left here on the Outer Banks?
All I want to know: if the unemployment is so high, why does the gov't allow so many more work visa of students to take these jobs??
Who knows what the real numbers are.
If North Carolina is anything like the Federal government, their unemployment statistics exclude those people who would like to get a job, but have given up trying, and those who have run out of benefits. Additionally, they do not account for the people who want and need a full-time job, but can only find part-time work.
Lastly, even if those variables could be factored in, which would probably bring us to over 16%, there is no measure of how many people lost high-paying jobs, and had to settle for full-time work at one-half or less of their former salary.
It's bad, and, regardless of what the talking heads in government have to say, it's going to get a lot worse, before it gets better. Not just in North Carolina, but all over these United States.