Most counties in North Carolina saw an increase in unemployment numbers in January, including all counties in the southeastern part of the state.
WHQR’s Sara Wood reports that the state department of commerce attributes the jump to seasonal factors.
State Commerce Secretary Dale Carroll says losses in retail, leisure and hospitality sectors contributed to unemployment gains. New Hanover and Onslow are the only counties to stay below the state average of 10.5 percent. Pender County increased to just over 12 percent. The largest jumps in the regional unemployment rates were in Brunswick and Bladen which are now at or above 13 percent, and Robeson and Columbus which are at or above 14 percent. Carroll says while rates increased in January, over the year nearly half of the state’s counties decreased or remained the same.