NC Unemployment

For the past 65 years, St. Andrews University has been a major economic engine for the small town in Scotland County. That all changed on May 5, when the university shut down for good after years of financial challenges. County leaders have been working to draw industry and development to multiple sites, and they hope the St. Andrew’s campus can be one of them.

Federal employees impacted by the government shutdown can apply for unemployment benefits from the state while they are furloughed. However, if they receive backpay from their employer, the benefits must be paid back to the state.

A General Assembly staff economist wrote last week that state employment had returned to pre-pandemic levels last summer and had exceeded them.

Experts say this is a knock-on effect of business shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees shifted to a work-from-home model that didn't require them to be in major metros.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell two-tenths of a percentage point last month to 3.5 percent.

North Carolina's unemployment rate fell for the eighth consecutive month in May, the state Department of Commerce announced on Wednesday.

The North Carolina House has OK'd legislation to do away with the $300-per-week supplemental benefits for the unemployed provided by the federal government during the pandemic. The Republican measure approved on Thursday would take away the additional payments to roughly 245,000 people in North Carolina. The program is set to expire nationwide in early September, but about two dozen states already have decided to cut off the supplement early. GOP legislators say the additional aid is a disincentive for working, making it tough for employers to fill vacancies. Democrats say eliminating the benefits would harm people still struggling to cover their expenses.

Restaurants across the Carolinas are struggling to find workers even as demand is rebounding from a pandemic slowdown. That’s despite many restaurants raising pay and even offering signing bonuses

In 2013, North Carolina’s legislature voted to cut unemployment benefits, shortening the number of eligibility weeks and capping the amount of funds…

In 2013, North Carolina’s legislature voted to cut unemployment benefits, shortening the number of eligibility weeks and capping the amount of funds…