The Labor & Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) collects data, conducts research and analysis and publishes reports about the state’s economy and labor market.  Information and data produced by LEAD help stakeholders make more informed decisions on business recruitment, education and workforce policies and career development, as well as gain a more extensive view of North Carolina’s economy.

LEAD teams 

LEAD consists of a group of experienced and skilled researchers, statisticians, economists and policy analysts in the following three teams. 

  • Economic & Policy Analysis - Studies national, statewide, and local economic trends and provides unbiased, nonpartisan, research-based analyses of key economic and labor market issues important to North Carolina.
  • Federal/State Cooperative Programs (Bureau of Labor Statistics) - Produces, develops and disseminates key economic information and employment statistics for the state and sub-state areas s through four federal/state cooperative programs with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
  • Data Analytics & Research - Leverages LEAD's technical expertise and "big data" resources to generate research products as well as evaluate and report on the effectiveness of educational and workforce development programs and services.
     

Products & Services:

Tab/Accordion Items

  • State employment figures — Find the latest monthly unemployment and jobs numbers for NC, and  a schedule of release dates for future estimates. | SERVICE
  • County & area employment figures — Access current employment figures for counties and regions within NC. | SERVICE
  • Employment projections  — View projections of employment growth by industry and occupation at the state and regional levels. | SERVICE

 

  • Labor Data Search Tool (D4) — Access state and local industry, occupation, employment, unemployment, custom demographics reports, business data, and area maps from Demand Driven Data Delivery System (D4). | ONLINE SERVICE
  • LMI Tuesday — Join us on any first or third Tuesday in each month from 11.30 to noon for LMI Tuesday.  Meet LEAD analysts and economists. Get all of your Labor Market Information questions answered. Learn about data, economic conditions, tools/resources, and more in 30 minutes or less. | ONLINE SERVICE

  • Star Jobs — Explore and identify prospective careers through the one- to five-star ranking system based on projected job openings, growth rate and wages. | ONLINE SERVICE
  • NCCareers — Get detailed Research career information on hundreds of occupations, including education/training, job duties, wages, and employment outlook. | SERVICE
  • NC TOWER — Uncover outcome data about programs of study, degrees attained, enrollment and employment for students who have pursued public higher education in NC. | SERVICE

 

  • County & Regional Profiles – Review summaries of economic, demographic, and community data to better understand the business environment and quality of life in North Carolina’s counties and regions . | SERVICE
  • Labor Data Search Tool (D4) — Access and download custom demographics reports, business data, and area maps. | ONLINE SERVICE

  • The LEAD Feed —Gain valuable insights on the state’s economy and workforce from LEAD’s blog articles  | PUBLICATION
  • NC Today — Review snapshot of labor market and economic conditions for the state. | ONLINE SERVICE
  • Research &  Publications — Discover a wealth of information related to specific research – i.e. industries, labor force, education and workforce program outcomes, and other economic topics. | STUDIES
  • Common Follow-Up System — North Carolina tracks educational and employment outcomes and publishes regular reports on our progress | STUDIES