"Unemployment was relatively unchanged in October," offered ESC Chairman Harry Payne Jr. in a statement released to the media. "There was a slight increase in unemployment, but we are encouraged by the increase in employment for the third time in four months.
Steve Osborne is a computer programmer who is one of hundreds in the Triangle to lose their jobs in the last month. Friday, he was meeting with a headhunter to try and find work.
"It's very difficult for them right now and they had to lay off a lot of people and I was one of them," he said of his old employer. "I consider myself lucky to be in IT but you have to be willing to look for a job regularly."
Osborne says he has some good leads for jobs, and he's also a veteran, which helps.
"There are employers who will give special considerations to veterans so that was additional help for me," he explained.
Despite hundreds of job cuts in the Triangle, many say North Carolina is still a good and competitive job market.
State officials say the next round of unemployment numbers will come out in early December.
