N.C. Unemployment Rate Falls To 5.9%; Pandemic Peak Now Higher

North Carolina's unemployment rate fell below 6% during January, government officials said on Monday, although jobless figures remain well above those recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic contracted commerce.

January's 5.9% seasonally adjusted rate compares to 6.1% for December, the state Commerce Department said in a news release. The U.S. unemployment rate was 6.3% in January. The state rate peaked during the pandemic at 13.5%, recorded for both last April and May. 

Employed workers in the overall state labor force increased by nearly 9,900 during January to 4.74 million people, according to the department. While the number of unemployed fell by 11,300 since December to 297,600, the total is still 118,000 above the total of unemployed in January 2020. 

Among non-farm employment, the construction and the information and communications industries led the way in employment growth, according to department data.  Categories of government and education and health industries recorded the largest employment declines.

The pandemic peak rate of 13.5% is higher than the previously announced top rate of 12.9% from last April. That's because the monthly rates in 2020 have undergone their annual revisions, resulting in adjustments, the department said.

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