Local jobless rate continues to decline while labor pool increases

By David Kennard, posted Jun 3, 2021 on BizFayetteville.com

A recent year-over-year post pandemic report shows that more people are entering the labor pool, including new workers coming from local colleges and universities. (Photo provided by Fayetteville Technical Community College)

Jobless rates in Cumberland County dropped slightly from 6.5 percent in March to 6.2 percent in April, according to data released Wednesday by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Statewide numbers show that unemployment rates decreased in 91 of North Carolina’s 100 counties.

Locally, the unemployment rate has continued to show improvement from last year’s pandemic-related spike. Data from March 2020 to April of that same year showed the unemployment rate skyrocket from 6.5 percent to 15.3 in Cumberland County.

Likewise, the jobless rate in the greater Fayetteville area went from 5.2 percent in March 2020 to 15.1 percent in April 2020.

Compared to the Commerce Department’s news on Wednesday, Cumberland County’s jobless rate has nearly rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

Additionally, year-over-year labor force numbers in Cumberland County showed an increase from 121,996 in April 2020 to 125,962, meaning nearly 4,000 more people entered the workforce.

Statewide numbers showed a similar trend; the unemployment rate went from 13.2 percent in April 2020 to 4.4 percent a year later. The labor force went from 4,660,070 in April 2020 to 4,974,962 a year later, showing an increase of 314,892 available workers statewide.

According to the Commerce Department, Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 8.5 percent while Orange County had the lowest at 3.0 percent.

The department stated that among the metro areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 6.3 percent while Durham-Chapel Hill had the lowest at 3.5 percent.

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