The Triangle's job market continues to outshine the rest of the state, but bleak unemployment conditions aren't improving as the economic recovery sputters.

This region's jobless rate rose to 8.2 percent in July, according to data released Friday by the N.C. Employment Security Commission and seasonally adjusted by Wells Fargo Securities economists in Charlotte. That's up from 8.1 percent in June.

Cuts in state government and education are hurting the local economy, and private employers are increasingly reluctant to ramp up hiring, said Wells Fargo senior economist Mark Vitner.

"The cost of making a mistake is much greater in a slower growing economy," Vitner said. "Businesses have become much more hesitant about expanding."

North Carolina's jobless rate rose to 9.9 percent in June, the highest level since last fall and the first increase in more than a year.

The increase, from 9.7 percent in May, reflects employers' reluctance to hire as uncertainty about the economic recovery worsens.

And the state budget crunch also took a toll. There were 10,200 fewer government jobs in June, as the state, community colleges and universities eliminated positions.

North Carolina's unemployment rate remains well above the national average, which also rose in June to 9.2 percent. This state has a higher concentration of manufacturing jobs, which were hit hard during the recession.

A year ago, the state rate was 10.5 percent. High fuel costs, a lingering housing slump and other factors have eroded confidence that hiring will rebound quickly in the wake of the recession.

The Triangle's jobless rate continued to show steady improvement in February, suggesting that local employers are slowly resuming hiring.

The unemployment rate for the Raleigh-Durham area fell to 7.6 percent in February, down from 7.9 percent in January. The data were released today by the N.C. Employment Security Commission and adjusted for seasonal affects by Wells Fargo Securities economists in Charlotte.

The News & Observer uses the seasonally adjusted rates to provide a more accurate comparison to the state and national averages, which also are adjusted.

The local rate remains well below the state and national rates, reflecting this region's concentration of relatively stable industries such as health care, technology and education.

The state's jobless rate rose slightly in November, reinforcing the uneven nature of the slow economic recovery.

North Carolina lost 12,500 jobs in November, the most in the country, the U.S. Labor Department reported.

The state's unemployment rate rose to 9.7 percent last month, the N.C. Employment Security Commission reported this morning. That was up from 9.6 percent in October.

Employers across the state remain reluctant to hire until demand for products and services shows stronger signs of revival. Some are still cutting jobs as they try to restructure to survive.

Officials with the state Employment Security Commission will seek to waive $28 million in overpayments made to about 38,000 unemployed people.

The ESC outlined a plan today that includes asking Gov. Bev Perdue to issue an order to forgive the overpayments with cooperation from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Perdue has spoken with DOL assistant secretary Jane Oates, who has agreed to work with the ESC to waive the overpayments, the ESC announced in a prepared statement.

The administrative errors that led to the overpayments have become a major black eye for the ESC, which recently mailed letters warning jobless people that they had to repay the money.

"I sincerely apologize for the confusion and inconvenience cause to our citizens over this issue," ESC chairwoman Lynn Holmes said in a prepared statement.

The unemployment rate in the Triangle dropped to 7.5 percent in July, as this region remains the healthiest job market in the state.

The rate is still near historical highs, and thousands of local job seekers aren't finding much relief as employers are still nervous about hiring during a shaky economy.

The July data were released this morning by the N.C. Employment Security Commission and adjusted for seasonal effects by Wells Fargo Securities economists in Charlotte. The local jobless rate was down from a revised 7.6 percent in June.

The Triangle's jobless rate rose slightly in June, reflecting the fragile state of the economic recovery.

This region remains relatively healthy compared with the state and the nation, but the local unemployment rate is high by historical standards.

The rate increased to 8 percent in June from a revised 7.9 percent in May, according to data released today by the N.C. Employment Security Commission and adjusted for seasonal effects by Wells Fargo economist Mark Vitner.

The state's jobless rate dropped slightly to 11.1 percent in March, as North Carolina's economy continues to heal from the recession.

The state gained about 3,300 jobs in March, the N.C. Employment Security Commission reported this morning. The report showed an improvement from February, when the state rate was 11.2 percent, the highest level since at least 1976.

But North Carolina's jobless rate remains well above the national rate, which held steady at 9.7 percent in March.

The number of unemployed people across the state dropped by 2,794 to 507,686 in March.

"We need to see a more consistent pattern of growth in our job sectors in the coming months before we can be sure this is a sign of sustained growth," said ESC chairman Lynn Holmes, in a prepared statement.

More Triangle employers expect to hire during the second quarter, according to a quarterly survey by Manpower.

The survey released this morning shows that 18 percent of companies in the Raleigh-Cary area plan to add workers in the March-to-June period, while only 2 percent expect to cut jobs. In Durham, 17 percent expect to hire and 7 percent plan to reduce their payrolls.

Nationally, 16 percent of 18,000 companies surveyed by the temporary staffing firm expect to add workers, while 8 percent plan cuts.

The Triangle's jobless rate jumped to 9 percent in December, as employers remained reluctant to ramp up hiring.

The rate rose from 8.7 percent in November. The latest data was released this morning by the N.C. Employment Security Commission and adjusted for seasonal effects by Wells Fargo Securities economists in Charlotte.

The New & Observer uses the adjusted data because they provide a more statistically valid measure of employment.

In Wake, Durham, Orange and Johnston counties, there were 60,593 people unemployed in December, about the same as the month before, the ESC reported.