The state’s seasonally adjusted August 2022 unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, increasing 0.1 of a percentage point from July’s revised rate. The national rate increased 0.2 of a percentage point to 3.7 percent.
North Carolina’s unemployment rate decreased 1.3 percentage points from a year ago. The number of people employed increased 1,375 over the month to 4,944,797 and increased 198,133 over the year. The number of people unemployed increased 7,904 over the month to 179,561 and decreased 57,547 over the year.
Seasonally adjusted Total Nonfarm employment, as gathered through the monthly establishment survey, increased 10,100 to 4,801,300 in August. Major industries experiencing increases were Leisure & Hospitality Services, 3,800; Professional & Business Services, 3,000; Education & Health Services, 2,300; Manufacturing, 2,100; Information, 1,700; Construction, 1,200; Financial Activities, 1,100; Other Services, 200; and Mining & Logging, 100. Major industries experiencing decreases were Government, 4,900; and Trade, Transportation & Utilities, 500.
Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates since August 2021
| Area | August 2021 | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 | Nov 2021 | Dec 2021 | Jan 2022 | Feb 2022 | Mar 2022 | Apr 2022 | May 2022 | June 2022 | July 2022 | August 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N.C. | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
| U.S. | 5.2 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.7 |
* Please note: 2021 numbers have undergone annual revision *
Since August 2021, Total Nonfarm jobs increased 175,600 with the Total Private sector increasing by 174,700 and Government increasing by 900. Major industries experiencing increases were Professional & Business Services, 49,700; Leisure & Hospitality Services, 36,700; Education & Health Services, 22,700; Trade, Transportation & Utilities, 18,700; Manufacturing, 14,500; Financial Activities, 11,300; Construction, 8,200; Other Services, 6,900; Information, 6,100; and Government, 900. The only major industry experiencing a decrease over the year was Mining & Logging, 100.
The next unemployment update is scheduled for Wednesday, September 28, 2022 when the county unemployment rates for August 2022 will be released