The Lead Feed

Former offenders are primarily employed in industry sectors that are relatively low-paying or slow-growing. This article describes the sectors where individuals recently released from state prison tend to find work, including their pay levels and growth prospects, and lists some promising entry-level occupations incarcerated persons might want to consider as they prepare to re-enter the labor market.

In December, not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates increased in 99 of North Carolina's 100 counties.

LEAD’s senior economist was recently interviewed in an episode of UNC-TV’s ncIMPACT program covering women in the construction trades. Here are two key things you need to know about construction jobs and women in North Carolina’s workforce.

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).