Editor and Publisher
John H. Walker
TARBORO —
TARBORO — A trend of increasing unemployment seems to be in effect as Edgecombe County’s June unemployment rate was up from May. The May increase broke a string of three months when a decline was posted.
The rate was at 14.3 percent, up from last month’s 13.6 percent. With the increase, Edgecombe continues to have the fourth highest rate in the state, ahead only of Rutherford (14.5), Graham (15.2) and Scotland (17.6).
Last month’s data, released by the North Carolina Employment Security Commission, showed 3,646 persons out of a workforce of 25,455 were out of work. While up from the previous month, it is down 1.8 percent from June 2011 when the rate was 16.1 percent.
Edgecombe was not alone in the increase, as the rate in 84 of the state’s 100 counties was up in June when compared to May. The rate was lower in 11 counties and remained the same in five.
The state’s lowest rate was 5.3 percent in Currituck County, followed by Orange County at 7.1 percent and Henderson at 7.3 percent.
All 14 of the state’s MSA’s showed an increase in June from May. Rocky Mount was up .7 percent at 13.2 percent.
Data from area counties showed the rate up from 11.9 to 12.6 percent in Nash, 13.0 to 13.6 in Wilson, 9.8 to 10.6 in Pitt, 11.2 to 12.0 in Martin and 12.7 to 13.8 percent in Halifax.
Statewide, the number of workers employed (not seasonally adjusted) increased in May by 12,294 to 4,237,552, while those unemployed rose 22,088 to 463.123. Since May 2011, the number of workers unemployed decreased 40,819, while those employed increased 35,027.
North Carolina’s statewide unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) was 9.9 percent in June. This was a 0.4 of a percentage-point increase from May’s revised rate of 9.5 percent, and a 1.0 percentage-point decrease over the year.
