The Lead Feed

In this article, we focus broadly on doctoral recipients in North Carolina. How do both academic/research and professional/practice doctoral recipients fare after receiving their degrees? We look at both enrollment trends and wage outcomes for doctoral graduates of the University of North Carolina system, based on our recent evaluation report using longitudinal data from the Common Follow-up System (CFS).

North Carolina's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged from November’s revised rate of 3.6 percent.

Former offenders face barriers to re-entering the labor market after release from prison. This article describes the workforce programs available to offenders during and after incarceration in North Carolina, and reports the employment outcomes of those who participate in these programs, showing that these programs can be important pathways to re-entry.

While U.S. wage growth remains slow, you may have read that it’s picked up steam in recent months. We’re interested in the extent to which that’s true in North Carolina and where it might be happening in our state’s economy.

In November, not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates increased in 56 of North Carolina's 100 counties.

LEAD’s career rating system has been updated for the new 2026 projections.  This entry will describe the changes and where you can find more career information.

North Carolina's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged from October’s revised rate of 3.6 percent.

The Durham-Chapel Hill MSA leads NC’s metro areas in average wage.  However, over the past decade, that gap has narrowed.  While job growth has been solid, the loss of jobs in particular high-paying industries has contributed to a meager increase in the Durham-Chapel Hill MSA’s average wage.

We’ve recently shown that employment is growing in High Wage Industries, but are their wages growing more than middle- or low-wage industries?

North Carolina’s growing economy is making it easier for jobseekers to find employment in our state. This article describes how our red-hot labor market has bolstered the outcomes of some of our state’s workforce programs and affected enrollment trends in our state’s public universities and community colleges.

In October, not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates increased in all of North Carolina's 100 counties.

Recently, the Labor and Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) of NC Commerce released the latest Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data.  This data is from 2018 Quarter 2, and represents one of the best sources of economic data for North Carolina and its smaller regions, including Workforce Development Boards (WDBs).

North Carolina's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased 0.2 of a percentage point to 3.6 percent from September’s revised rate of 3.8 percent.

High wage industries appear to be growing as of late, but what do the past and current trends show?

The share of former offenders finding work in North Carolina within a year after release from state prison declined from 62% in 1998 to 39% in 2014. This article explores some of the factors that may be responsible for this trend, including changes in the labor market that have made it harder to find a job—particularly for blue-collar workers, and especially for former offenders.