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Over 460,000 North Carolinians work in the Manufacturing sector, and advanced manufacturing was identified as a key workforce sector in the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships’ Strategies to Advance North Carolina’s Workforce Development Progress. In recognition of Manufacturing Month, this article uses data from the Common Follow-up System (CFS) to examine the educational and employment outcomes of graduating Manufacturing Career and Technical Education (CTE) Concentrators from North Carolina’s public high schools.

In this edition of NC Economy Watch, we unpack what’s going on with inflation in 2026. Following a few years of steady progress, inflation spiked again this year, driven primarily by an energy price shock from the conflict in the Middle East. Tariffs and the artificial intelligence (A.I.) buildout have added further pressure, complicating the path to normal price growth.

The 2026 UNC System Workforce Alignment Report ranked accountants and auditors as among the top 25 bachelor’s-level occupations by projected new net job growth between 2024 and 2034. This is supported by data from LEAD’s Occupational Projections, which estimates an increase of 3,181 accounting and auditing positions during this period. Using two decades of data from the Common Follow-up System (CFS), this article examines trends in Accounting bachelor’s degree production, employment in two key sectors, and average wages over time.

New joint research from the Labor & Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) and the Education Policy Initiative at Carolina (EPIC) examines how high school students' performance on the ACT WorkKeys exam relates to their college enrollment, degree completion, and early-career wage earnings.

According to the 2026 UNC System Workforce Alignment Report, UNC System schools account for 91 percent of Social Work degrees at the bachelor’s level and higher awarded by North Carolina institutions. The report identifies Social Work as a field with persistent workforce shortages in specific areas. To provide context for this finding, this article examines two decades of outcomes among Social Work bachelor’s degree recipients from UNC System institutions using data from the Common Follow-up System (CFS), highlighting graduate trends and the program’s contribution to meeting North Carolina’s

Workers with the same occupation in North Carolina can see annual earnings vary by tens of thousands of dollars depending on where they work and the industry that employs them. New estimates from the 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program show how geography and industry can shape earning potential.

In this edition of NC Economy Watch, we unpack recent estimates indicating that North Carolina’s labor force is smaller now than it was a year ago. Our labor force is under pressure from slowing population growth and a decades-long decline in the labor force participation rate. Given the persistence of these trends, North Carolinians should prepare for the possibility that our labor force may continue to shrink in the years to come.

Over the past two decades, a smaller share of bachelor’s-level Education graduates have entered the Educational Services sector, according to data from the Common Follow-up System (CFS). Between 2004 and 2024, both first-year employment and longer-term employment in the sector declined, signaling a meaningful shift in the post-graduation career pathways for Education majors. This article examines the trend in Education bachelor’s degree graduates from UNC system schools working in the sector over time.

For over a decade, all of North Carolina’s eight Prosperity Zones scored below the national benchmark for wage rates. Despite this, North Carolina has ranked among the top two states for business for six consecutive years, achieved above-average employment rates and maintained consistent educational attainment across the state. North Carolina is succeeding at attracting business and growing economic opportunity, but our next economic development challenge is ensuring better-paying jobs for our workers.

The Census Bureau’s Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) AI Supplement provides insight into how North Carolina businesses are using AI, the reported impact on employment, and why many have yet to adopt the technology.