Layoffs in Education Bring Up North Carolina’s Jobless Rate

Teacher layoffs and other cutbacks in education and local government drove the North Carolina unemployment rate up to 10.1 percent in July, the highest rate since February 2010. The private sector gained 6,900 jobs, but state government shed 300 jobs, and local government jobs decreased by 11,800. Employment data indicates that a majority of those lost jobs were in education, including teachers, according to the N.C. Employment Security Commission. “In North Carolina, we have seen very, very sluggish job growth, but the big story this month is the huge pullback in government jobs, down more than 5 percent over last year,” said Michael Brown, an economist with Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte.

Read the original article here:
Education layoffs drive up state jobless rate