NC unemployment rate at 3.5% in April, slight increase from last year

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- North Carolina saw a 0.2 percentage point increase in its unemployment rate since April of last year.

According to the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the unemployment rate in April 2024 is 3.5 percent, affecting about 187,000 people.

This is unchanged from March's revised date, but this is a slight increase from a year ago.

Here's a further breakdown of the numbers:

• 1,200 new hires in April, totaling 5,075,803 overall. This makes 28,573 new hires over the year.
• Those unemployed increased by 1,202 in April, totaling 186,723 overall. This makes 14,527 over the year.

NC Commerce reported significant job growth in trade and transportation, government, and leisure and hospitality industries. Among the industries experiencing low job growth are manufacturing, and information.

Meanwhile, the national unemployment rate has ticked up slightly to 3.9 percent from last month.

The next update will be released in late May, alongside the county unemployment rates for April 2024.