South By North Strategies, Ltd.

The December employment report released today by the Employment Security Commission contains few signs of a recovery in the job market. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, North Carolina has lost six percent of its payroll employment base and has seen its unemployment rate climb to a modern high of 11.2 percent.

In December, North Carolina employers shed 2,400 more positions than they added. The public sector gained, on net, 800 positions, and the private sector cut, on net, 3,200 positions. Among private industries, leisure and hospitality services eliminated the most positions (-2,600), followed by manufacturing (-900), and trade, transportation and warehousing (-800). Professional services posted the largest numerical gain (+1,900), followed by government (+800), and information (+600). Furthermore, an upward revision to the November report reduced total net job losses for that month from 5,600 to 2,400.

Click here to read South by North Strategies analysis of the December employment report.