The Lead Feed

North Carolina’s Western Prosperity Zone has felt the forces of economic change, but with the Asheville metro area leading the way, it is finding new ways of growing its economy.

The Great Recession caused a large spike in the number of North Carolinians who would prefer to work full time but are only able to find part-time employment. This article checks in on the current state of “involuntary” part-time work in our state.

Growth in North Carolina's counties and metro areas place prominently in the latest Census Bureau report released last week. 

Walmart has announced that a large number of workers are going to be getting a raise.  Considering the footprint that the retailer has in North Carolina, this could mean added benefit for the state’s economy.

New North Carolina employment and wage estimates for 800 nonfarm occupations are now available through the Occupational Employment Statistics program.

What are the economies in different parts of North Carolina like? How are they similar to one another and how are they unique? From the mountains to the coast, recently published data from LEAD shed light on North Carolina’s varied regional economies.

Recently released data from the 2012 Economic Census indicates that the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area reigns as North Carolina's manufacturing hub.

LEAD's BLS Statistics Data chart has eliminated the guess work of which geographies are available for several BLS programs.

Annual revisions of the Labor Area Unemployment Statistics and Current Employment Statistics programs will delay the release of North Carolina January 2015 employment figures.

Despite early indications of an economic slowdown, newly released data revisions show that North Carolina’s unemployment rate improved continuously through 2013 and 2014. This article explains what labor market watchers can learn from these new data and provides some helpful tips for how to avoid getting caught off-guard by future data revisions.

Before choosing a college major, it may do well to consider the employment opportunities in that field of study.

The new Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas designations will go into effect with the release of North Carolina's January 2015 data from Bureau of Labor Statistics programs.

Unemployment rates for those who lost or left their most recent job (“separators”) versus those just entering the labor force (“entrants”) diverge sharply during periods of recession. This article shows how tracking trends among these two subgroups can help us gauge North Carolina’s labor market recovery and better understand the different manifestations of joblessness in our state.

While national labor force participation has steadily declined from a high of 67 percent in the late 1990s to less than 63 percent in December, a surprising trend shows participation rates among the United States’ poorest households rising over the last decade.

Which pays more on average: teaching elementary school or patrolling the streets as a police officer? Every day, 4.2 million North Carolinians go to work in their chosen profession. Which occupations pay more than average wages and which pay less? Analyzing data from LEAD’s Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program and occupational employment projections helps us to find out.