Topics Related to Labor Market

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.

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

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.

Employment and wage growth diverged across North Carolina's counties in 2025: jobs grew in half of the state’s counties, with most of the net gain concentrated in a handful of large or suburban counties, while wages outpaced inflation in most. This post, the second in a two-part series on North Carolina's 2025 Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data, draws on the newly released federal-state QCEW program, a partnership between the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and state labor market information entities.

North Carolina's wages outpaced national inflation in 2025, with the average weekly wage rising faster than consumer prices. Employment also grew faster than the national rate, with most sectors adding jobs over the year. This post, the first in a two-part series on North Carolina's 2025 Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data, draws on the newly released federal-state QCEW program, a partnership between the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and state labor market information entities.

Over the past several years, Computer Science has been a field associated with strong demand and high wages, yet the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and broader changes in the technology labor market have introduced new uncertainties about the field’s future. Using data from the Common Follow-up System (CFS), this article examines two decades of Computer Science graduates from UNC System schools to better understand how changing employment and wage patterns may inform the outlook for these graduates.

In this edition of NC Economy Watch, we assess employment conditions in North Carolina’s manufacturing sector. The sector has struggled in recent decades, and those struggles persist to the present day, but manufacturers entered 2026 signaling increased optimism, and while job growth in the sector remains sluggish, the future of manufacturing is likely to be anything but stagnant.

The 2026 UNC System Workforce Alignment Report identified Psychology as a discipline where projected workforce demand is poised to exceed the future supply of graduates. Using data from the Common Follow-up System (CFS), this article explores two decades of trends in graduation patterns, graduate school enrollment, and employment outcomes for Psychology majors across UNC System institutions.