North Carolina has logged no net job growth in the last 12 years, having fewer jobs at the end of 2011 than it did in December 1999, according to a report released today by the South by North Strategies research firm.

In that same period of time, the population grew by more than 21 percent.

The research firm, which specializes in economic and social policy, said in the report that the employment-to-population ratio is at its lowest level since 1976 as the state's growth outpaces the number of jobs it's bringing in.

All evidence points to a sluggish recovery in 2012, making it the fifth consecutive year of negative or minimal job growth in the state, said John Quinterno, and analyst for the firm, in the report.

The N.C. economy should grow by nearly 3 percent this year, reports UNC Charlotte economist John Connaughton.

The growth comes after a 2.8 percent decline in 2009, and a projected expansion of 1.3 percent last year, Connaughton says in his quarterly Babson Capital/UNC Charlotte Economic Forecast for the state.