Last year, we published two articles examining the employment outcomes of older jobseekers in North Carolina’s labor market. This year, in recognition of Reentry Month, we take a closer look at what happens to older individuals after they leave prison in North Carolina.
The Lead Feed
As the 15th largest export state in the U.S., North Carolina plays a significant role in international trade. From 2019 to 2024, the state’s trade activity gradually recovered from pandemic disruptions and experienced solid overall growth. Unsurprisingly, exports declined sharply in 2020, falling 14%. However, levels steadily rebounded, with exports exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 7% by 2024.
Employer demand for healthcare workers soared after the COVID-19 recession, with job openings peaking in 2022-2023 before moderating throughout 2024. Despite easing labor market conditions, healthcare employers still struggle with hiring challenges, ranging from having too few applicants to having candidates with insufficient work experience. In this second installment of a series on the healthcare workforce, we explore the healthcare labor market from the perspective of employers.
Toward the end of 2024, there were about 82,600 federal employees in North Carolina, accounting for 2% of the state’s total employment. Using the latest available data, we map out where federal employment is concentrated across the state.
In this edition of NC Economy Watch, we examine the employment data revisions just released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. These revised data show job growth slowing and job gains narrowing, with the Education & Health Services and Government sectors accounting for 97% of our state’s net job growth in 2024. Meanwhile, revised data also show that the Asheville metro area had more economic momentum going into Hurricane Helene than initially estimated, a hopeful sign for the region’s post-hurricane employment recovery.
In July 2023, The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released updates to the country’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) definitions. North Carolina saw several changes that are reflective of the dynamic nature of our state's population and economic growth and tell an interesting story about the evolving landscape of urban development across the State.
Women in North Carolina are earning postsecondary degrees at higher rates than men, yet a significant earnings gap persists. This analysis explores how education, earnings, and field of study intersect to shape gender wage disparities in the state.
How and where Americans work continue to evolve following the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Census Bureau recently published data from the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS), showing North Carolina ranked 11th among the states and District of Columbia in remote work – down from 13th in 2022.
Recent data indicate that North Carolina has experienced a significant decline in poverty over the past decade. This analysis examines changes in the state's poverty rate from 2013 to 2023 and highlights county-level differences in poverty levels.
North Carolina's business landscape is undergoing a dramatic demographic shift, with the number of Black and Hispanic business owners surging in recent years according to new data from the US Census Bureau's Annual Business Survey.
A recent blog using Census data showed that in most North Carolina counties, the majority of private-sector workers commute to a different county. This blog narrows in on commuting patterns in western North Carolina as a key factor to understand the road to economic recovery in the aftermath of Helene.
The Census’ latest release of the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year data and 2022 Longitudinal Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) allows us to revisit levels of working from home and commuting patterns in North Carolina.
An aging population is transforming North Carolina’s healthcare and workforce needs. In this first blog of a new series on the healthcare workforce, we examine this demographic shift and its impact on the state’s healthcare sector.
In this edition of NC Economy Watch, we highlight three of the big questions we’ll be asking as 2025 gets underway: will Asheville’s labor market recover from Hurricane Helene? Will labor market conditions improve for jobseekers across the state? And will we see any more relief on interest rates?
The 2025 County Development Tiers went into effect on January 1, with a relatively large number of counties shifting tier from 2024. In total, eighteen counties changed tier in 2025. This blog will review the Tiers and highlight this year’s changes.