NC unemployment rate stuck again in January at 4.5 percent

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina’s unemployment rate in January didn’t move from the 4.5 percent mark where it’s been for three previous months.

North Carolina’s jobless picture has been above the national average most of the previous year.

Data released by the state Commerce Department on Monday show North Carolina’s jobless rate only matched the national average in August, when both were at 4.4 percent.

The state and federal unemployment figures diverged in October, when North Carolina’s rate rose to 4.5 percent and the national level fell to 4.1 percent. Both have stayed in place since then.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that despite the higher unemployment rate, North Carolina saw an additional 70,000 workers added to payrolls from January 2017 to January 2018.