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A gradual but persistent labor market slowdown has made life increasingly difficult for jobseekers across North Carolina and nationwide. This slowdown has hampered efforts to extend job opportunities to populations on the margins of the labor force, including individuals who face barriers to gainful employment after exiting prison. This article uses recently updated data from the North Carolina Reentry Outcome Reporting System (NC-RORS) to show how the current labor market situation has impacted the employment outcomes of formerly incarcerated people in our state.

Findings from the recently completed 2026 Employer Needs Survey show North Carolina’s businesses are having an easier time hiring entry-level workers compared to previous years. About one-third of employers who tried to hire in the previous 12 months reported any difficulty, the lowest level of difficulty since we first began asking about entry-level positions. These findings, collected from employers with at least 10 employees during the Winter of 2025/2026, shed light on a labor market characterized by low levels of hiring as well as firing.

North Carolina faces a growing need for engineering talent as highlighted in the 2026 UNC System Workforce Alignment Report. To better understand trends in this field, this article draws on data from the Common Follow-up System (CFS) to examine two decades of data on Engineering bachelor’s degree recipients from UNC System institutions.

North Carolina gained more than 310,000 workers from other states than it lost since 2001, measured by interstate job switching — workers who left a stable job elsewhere and landed one in NC, or vice versa. That advantage held in 2024, when the state attracted over 17,000 more workers than it lost.

North Carolina's Labor and Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) has released the 2026 Star Jobs ratings, which provide a simple, user-friendly way to assess career opportunities across the state. Using a 1-to-5 scale based on wages, projected growth, demand, and education/skill requirements, the ratings help identify occupations with stronger long-term potential. The 2026 ratings show good career opportunities exist in every region of the state, with higher ratings in occupations requiring postsecondary education.

When we examine our state’s workforce programs, one theme consistently emerges: the most effective programs by far are the ones that allow trainees to “earn while they learn”. These work-based learning programs, including apprenticeships, paid work experience, and on-the-job training, are designed to bridge the gap between education and employment by allowing individuals to gain hands-on experience while developing in-demand skills. This article outlines the case for work-based learning, showing how these programs address critical needs in our labor market and may be particularly beneficial

Previous LEAD research has shown that registered apprenticeships have a positive, causal impact on laid-off workers, leading to higher rates of employment and higher earnings for nearly a decade after job loss. But do registered apprenticeships produce similar benefits for other populations? In this article, we examine the impact of registered apprenticeships on recent high school graduates, tracking how participation affects employment and earnings over a ten-year period.

Using data from the Common Follow-up System (CFS), this article explores trends in College Transfer-Associate in Arts (AA) and College Transfer-Science (AS) degree completion from North Carolina community colleges between 2003 and 2023.

This blog concludes our three-part series on North Carolina's employment outlook. In Part 1, we explored statewide job trends, while Part 2 concentrated on industry outlooks across substate regions. This final article examines how occupational trends play out across regions, where growth is concentrated, and how job opportunities differ across the state.

This blog is part of a three-part series on North Carolina’s employment outlook. In Part 1, we explored statewide job trends. This second installment looks at how industry growth differs across North Carolina — and where economic activity is expected to expand over the next decade. The next and final part will examine how job opportunities vary across regions.