Jobless rate unchanged
Published 6:38 pm Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Beaufort County’s unemployment rate did not change from September to October, remaining at 6.4 percent, according to the Labor & Economics Analysis Division of the N.C. Department of Commerce.
The county’s unemployment rate for August was 7.1 percent. In October 2014, the county’s unemployment rate was 6.3 percent. North Carolina’s jobless rate increased from 5.4 percent in September to 5.5 percent in October, according to LEAD data. The state’s jobless rate in October 2014 was 5.4 percent.
Beaufort County’s unemployment rate (factoring in the number of reported jobless people) for October ranked 70th in the state, according to LEAD figures.
The Washington statistical area’s unemployment rate remained at 6.4 percent from September to October, according to LEAD figures. The Greenville-Washington combined statistical area’s jobless rate increased from 5.9 percent in September to 6 percent in October.
For October, 16 of the state’s 100 counties had unemployment rates of 5 percent or lower, 82 counties had jobless rates between 5 percent and 10 percent and two counties had unemployment rates at or above 10 percent, according to LEAD data.
For October, Beaufort County’s workforce totaled 19,907 people, with 1,284 of those people without jobs, according to LEAD data. That meant 18,623 people were on the job. Beaufort County’s workforce totaled 19,725 people in September, with 1,259 people unable to find employment, according to LEAD data.
Hyde County’s unemployment rate increased from 6.4 percent in September to 6.8 percent in October, according to LEAD figures. The county’s jobless rate in October 2014 was 6 percent.
Martin County’s unemployment rate rose from 7.4 percent in September to 7.7 percent in October, according to LEAF information. The county’s jobless rate in October 2014 was 6.7 percent.
Pitt County’s unemployment rate increased from 5.8 percent in September to 5.9 percent in October, according to LEAD data. The county’s jobless rate for October 2014 was 5.6 percent.
Washington County’s unemployment rate was 8 percent in September, increasing to 8.4 percent in October, according to LEAD figures. In October 2014, the county’s jobless rate was 7.9 percent.
Scotland and Graham counties had the highest jobless rates in October at 10.3 percent. Buncombe County had the lowest unemployment rate in October at 4.1 percent.
The jobless figures released by the Commerce Department do not include unemployed people whose unemployment insurance benefits expired and who are not listed as unemployed. Factor in those people and a county’s true jobless rate is higher.
“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,” reads a page on the department’s website.
October’s data is preliminary, according to the website.