The Triangle's jobless rate remains at a four-and-a-half-year low as the region's economy gradually digs its way out of a post-recession hole.

The local unemployment rate dipped from 7.2 percent in March to 7.1 percent in April for the comparatively high-performing economy that includes Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary.

The data was issued Wednesday by the N.C. Department of Commerce and seasonally adjusted by Wells Fargo economists in Charlotte.

It's the lowest since December 2008, when the rate was 6.8 percent. It's also ahead of the national jobless average of 7.5 percent as well as the state average of 8.9 percent.

The Triangle's jobless rate was flat in December and down by a mere fraction for the year, indicating a stagnant job market in 2012, according to data issued by the N.C. Department of Commerce.

Triangle unemployment was at 7.7 percent in December, same as in November.

The Triangle gained 1,400 jobs last month.

December data show the greatest job gains in education and health services. The biggest losses were in government.

The state's jobless rate remains exceptionally high according to an obscure federal government measure of unemployment that takes into account those who are under-employed and those who got discouraged and stopped looking.

Using this measure, known as the U6 index, North Carolina's jobless rate was 17.6 percent in the first quarter of the year. That's nearly twice as high as the statewide jobless rate of 9.7 percent reported in March under the widely used jobless measure that's commonly publicized.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the broader jobless measure this morning. The U6 is relatively new, not compiled until 2005, and it's issued every quarter, as opposed to every month.

Because the U6 index is a broader measure of unemployment some consider it to be the more accurate measure of economic health. The U6 is generally 75 percent higher than the standard measure that's much better known.

At its highest, North Carolina's jobless rate was 17.9 percent, as measured by the U6 for parts of 2011.
 

State unemployment dropped incrementally in December and came out virtually flat for the year even as the national jobless rate showed marked improvement.

North Carolina's jobless rate was 9.9 percent in December, down from 10 percent in November, according to numbers issued this morning by the Division of Employment Security in the N.C. Department of Commerce.

The 9.9 percent rate compares to 9.8 percent in December 2011, showing very little change for the past 12 months.

The national rate, meanwhile, was 8.5 percent in December, down from 9.4 percent a year earlier, nearly a full percentage point.

The Triangle's jobless rate crept downward in November as the region added a modest amount of jobs to boost the local economy.

November's 8.1 percent jobless rate is down from 8.7 percent in October, according to data issued today by the N.C. Division of Employment Security. It's one of several measures that suggest the regional and national economy made gains at the end of 2011, said Wells Fargo economist Mark Vitner, who seasonally adjusted the data for the N&O.

The Triangle jobless rate remains below the national average of 8.6 percent and the statewide averge of 10 percent. The Triangle includes Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Apex and Chapel Hill among other metro areas.

The Triangle added 1,900 non-farm jobs in November, mostly in education, health services, professional services and retail trade. But Vitner said that behind those growth numbers lurks a downside: Many of the new jobs were not likely the kind of high-paying positions that would signify a healthy economy.

The Triangle jobs picture remained virtually unchanged in October from the previous month as the region's sluggish economy sputters into an unclear future.

The unemployment rate dipped to 8.7 percent in October, down from 8.8 percent in September, according to data issued by the N.C. Division of Employment Security and seasonally adjusted by Wells Fargo in Charlotte.

The Triangle jobless rate is now comparable to January 2010. Unemployment had entered a more promising interlude in past months during which it had fallen as low as 7.6 percent several times.

About 70,000 people in the Triangle were out of a job in October. If the region's economy had recovered and the jobless rate had fallen to 5 percent, then the number of unemployed would be about 44,000 now, said Wells Fargo economist Mark Vitner.
 

Federal jobless data issued this morning shows that North Carolina's unemployment rate has reached an all-time high using the government's most comprehensive measure.

The state's jobless rate was 17.9 percent in the third quarter, according to the so-called U6 index issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The previous high was 17.8 percent, set last year.

The U6 index includes people who are not counted in the more commonly cited jobless measure, the U3, which shows a 10.5 percent jobless rate for the third quarter.

The U6 was not tracked until 2005 and is still relatively obscure. Because it takes a broader view of unemployment, some consider the U6 index a more accurate picture of the national and regional economic situation. The U6 rate generally tends to be about 75 percent higher than the standard measure of unemployment, or U3 index.

The loss of over 14,500 workers from the state's economy in August pushed up the state's jobless rate for the fourth consecutive month, further indication that North Carolina is still mired in a post-recessionary rut.

The N.C. Employment Security Commission said this morning that that statewide jobless rate rose to 10.4 percent last month, up from 10.1 percent in July. The August jobless rate is the state's highest in more than a year.

The data show that the size of the state's labor force declined by 2,777 people as the number of jobless outnumbered those who are getting paychecks.

The state has added an anemic 25,600 jobs so far this year. Economists say North Carolina would have needed to add about 40,000 by this point to put a dent in the jobless rate.

"To me it looks like the economy stalled in July and August," said Mark Vitner, an economist with Wells Fargo in Charlotte. "A lot of people are saying it looks like a recession because their pipeline of business has dried up."

North Carolina's jobless rate remains near all-time high levels using the federal government's broadest measure of unemployment.

The state's jobless rate was 17.5 percent in the second quarter, according to the U6 index issued today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The U6 index includes people who are not counted in the more commonly used jobless measure: people who are forced to take part-time jobs because they can't find full-time work, and those who become so discouraged they give up looking for work.
 

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.