Robeson County’s unemployment rate showd improvement in April, the most recent month for which data is available.
Photo provided by Robeson Community College.
LUMBERTON — Robeson County’s unemployment rate drop slightly during the last month, which continued a downward trend since topping out in June.
According to the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Robeson County’s unemployment rate was 5.8% in April, the most recent month for which data is available.
The unemployment rate in March was 6.2%, which is higher than the jobless rate for both the state (4.1%) and the nation (3.9%).
Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in 83 of North Carolina’s counties in April, increased in four and remained unchanged in 13, according to data obtained by the Robesonian from the state’s Department of Commerce.
Edgecombe County had the highest unemployment rate at 7.4 percent, while Orange and Chatham counties — both in the Raleigh-Durham area — each had the lowest jobless rate at 2.6%.
Twelve of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases and three remained unchanged. The Fayetteville Metropolitan Service Area showed a slight decrease in its unemployment rate from 5.4% in March to 5.1 in April.
Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 5.8 percent while Asheville and Durham-Chapel Hill each had the lowest at 2.8 percent.
Among Robeson County’s closest neighbors, only one county recorded a higher jobless rate (7.3%). Others showed slight drops in unemployment rates, including Bladen, 4.3; Columbus, 4.6%, Cumberland, 5.1% and Hoke, 4.7%.
When compared to the same month last year, not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates decreased in all 100 counties. All 15 of the state’s metro areas also experienced rate decreases over the year.
The number of workers employed statewide (not seasonally adjusted) increased in April by 23,922 to 4,927,270, while those unemployed decreased by 6,924 to 175,278. Since April 2021, the number of workers employed statewide increased 247,774, while those unemployed decreased 71,562.
Statewide, since April 2021, total nonfarm jobs have increased by 185,600 with the total private sector increasing by 174,900 and government increasing by 10,700.
Major industries experiencing increases were Leisure & Hospitality Services, 52,400; Professional & Business Services, 50,600; Trade, Transportation & Utilities, 18,400; Education & Health Services, 14,200; Financial Activities, 14,200; Manufacturing, 13,100; Government, 10,700; Other Services, 6,700; and Information, 5,700. Major industries experiencing decreases were Construction, 200; and Mining & Logging, 200.
According to the Commerce Department, it is important to note that employment estimates are subject to large seasonal patterns; therefore, it is advisable to focus on over-the-year changes in the not seasonally adjusted estimates.