Although North Carolina’s economy continues to struggle, workers in the Triangle are experiencing unemployment rates significantly below the statewide average.
According to figures released by the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina, 9.8 percent of the state’s workforce was unemployed in July. Conversely, in the Triangle—which is anchored by Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh—only 7.5 percent of those actively looking for work cannot find it.
Other regions of the state have not been as fortunate. Several counties are saddled with unemployment rates greater than 13 percent, and in some rural areas, 15 out of every 100 workers are without a job.
“We have had some job growth since the beginning of the year,” said Larry Parker, a spokesman for the ESC. “It’s just not at the pace we need.”
Parker said that although some sectors of the job market have experienced growth, others have declined—especially in the textile and furniture industries. Counties dependent upon only one industry have been particularly hard-hit.
“[Smaller counties] rely usually on one big plant of some sort and that’s where most of the county works,” he said. “If something like that goes away, it’s very devastating to the county and difficult to rebound from.”
But areas like the Triangle, which attract a wide range of industries, have consistently had lower unemployment numbers.
“I think it’s a function of what drives our economy,” said Durham Mayor Bill Bell. “We benefit from strong government, education and health care industries—it’s the diversity of jobs and the types of jobs that offer stability.”
Parker added that the Triangle also benefits from medical technology and software businesses that attract “support industries,” which create additional job opportunities.
Although the number of North Carolinians out of work remains elevated, a number of politicians have credited President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus with keeping a lid on unemployment, which some economists speculated in 2009 could spiral out of control.
“[It has] been helpful,” Bell said of the more than $100 million in stimulus money that Durham County has received.
Still, some economists question a stimulus in which dollars are conditionally allocated. Michelle Connolly, associate professor of the practice of economics, said she was wary of such constrained federal spending.
“When it’s specifically targeted, I think it’s kind of wasteful.”
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