North Carolina Department of Commerce - Labor and Economic Analysis Division

News

Release

For More Information, Contact:

Larry Parker/919.707.1010

For Immediate Release

July 18, 2014

North Carolinas June Employment Figures Released

RALEIGH The states seasonally adjusted June unemployment rate was 6.4 percent, unchanged from Mays
revised rate of 6.4 percent. The national rate decreased 0.2 of a percentage point to 6.1 percent.
North Carolinas June 2014 unemployment rate was 1.9 percentage points lower than a year ago. The number of
people employed decreased 8,577 over the month to 4,389,167, and increased 77,054 over the year. The number
of people unemployed decreased 2,142 over the month to 299,313, and declined 89,007 over the year.
Seasonally adjusted Total Nonfarm industry employment, as gathered through the monthly establishment survey,
decreased 5,800 to 4,119,500 in June. The major industry with the largest over-the-month increase was Professional & Business Services at 3,700, followed by Financial Activities, 3,400; Trade, Transportation & Utilities,
1,000; Construction, 600; Education & Health Services, 600; Manufacturing, 300; and Mining & Logging, 100.
Major industries experiencing decreases were Government, 13,300; Other Services, 1,500; Information, 500; and
Leisure & Hospitality Services, 200.
Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates Since June 2013
June
2013

July
2013

Aug.
2013

Sept.
2013

Oct.
2013

Nov.
2013

Dec.
2013

Jan.
2014

Feb.
2014

Mar.
2014

Apr.
2014

May
2014

June
2014

N.C.

8.3

8.1

8.0

7.7

7.5

7.2

6.9

6.7

6.4

6.3

6.2

6.4

6.4

U.S.

7.5

7.3

7.2

7.2

7.2

7.0

6.7

6.6

6.7

6.7

6.3

6.3

6.1

*2013 Numbers Have Been Annually Revised*

Since June 2013, Total Nonfarm jobs gained 74,800 with the Total Private sector growing by 82,300 and Government declining by 7,500. The largest over-the-year increase of major industries was Professional & Business
Services at 31,900, followed by Trade, Transportation & Utilities, 19,800; Leisure & Hospitality Services, 8,200;
Education & Health Services, 7,500; Construction, 4,800; Financial Activities, 4,600; Information, 2,500; Other
Services, 2,300; Manufacturing, 600; and Mining & Logging, 100. The only major industry experiencing a decrease
over the year was Government, 7,500.
The next unemployment update is scheduled for Wednesday, July 30, 2014 when the county unemployment rates
for June 2014 will be released.
More
This information may be accessed on the DES World Wide Web page, at http://www.ncesc.com

North Carolina data is embargoed until 10:00 A.M., Friday July 18, 2014

June 2014

May 2014

Numeric
Change

June 2013

Month Ago
Percent
Change

Numeric
Change

Year Ago
Percent
Change

North Carolina
(Local Area Unemployment Statistics)
Smoothed Seasonally Adjusted
Labor Force

4,688,480

4,699,199

4,700,433

-10,719

-0.2

-11,953

-0.3

Employed

4,389,167

4,397,744

4,312,113

-8,577

-0.2

77,054

1.8

299,313

301,455

388,320

-2,142

-0.7

-89,007

-22.9

6.4

6.4

8.3

0.0

xxx

-1.9

xxx

Labor Force

4,691,295

4,728,271

4,739,463

-36,976

-0.8

-48,168

-1.0

Employed

4,388,173

4,414,924

4,331,113

-26,751

-0.6

57,060

1.3

303,122

313,347

408,350

-10,225

-3.3

-105,228

-25.8

6.5

6.6

8.6

-0.1

xxx

-2.1

xxx

Labor Force

155,694,000

155,613,000

155,822,000

81,000

0.1

xxx

xxx

Employed

146,221,000

145,814,000

144,075,000

407,000

0.3

xxx

xxx

9,474,000

9,799,000

11,747,000

-325,000

-3.3

xxx

xxx

6.1

6.3

7.5

-0.2

xxx

xxx

xxx

Labor Force

156,997,000

155,841,000

157,089,000

1,156,000

0.7

xxx

xxx

Employed

147,104,000

146,398,000

144,841,000

706,000

0.5

xxx

xxx

9,893,000

9,443,000

12,248,000

450,000

4.8

xxx

xxx

6.3

6.1

7.8

0.2

xxx

xxx

xxx

Unemployed
Unemployment Rate
Not Seasonally Adjusted

Unemployed
Unemployment Rate
United States
(Current Population Survey)
Seasonally Adjusted

Unemployed
Unemployment Rate
Not Seasonally Adjusted

Unemployed
Unemployment Rate

*Effective January 2014, updated US population estimates are used in the national labor force estimates,
The annual population adjustments affect the comparability of national labor force estimates over time.
2014 estimates for the current month are preliminary. Estimates for the previous month have undergone monthly revision.
2013 estimates have undergone annual revision.

North Carolina data is embargoed until 10:00 A.M., Friday, July 18, 2014
Month Ago
June 2014

May 2014

Numeric
Change

June 2013

Year Ago

Percent
Change

Numeric
Change

Percent
Change

North Carolina
(Current Employment Statistics)
Seasonally Adjusted
Total Nonfarm

4,119,500

4,125,300

4,044,700

-5,800

-0.1

74,800

1.8

Total Private

3,419,400

3,411,900

3,337,100

7,500

0.2

82,300

2.5

5,600

5,500

5,500

100

1.8

100

1.8

Construction

178,000

177,400

173,200

600

0.3

4,800

2.8

Manufacturing

443,500

443,200

442,900

300

0.1

600

0.1

Trade, Transportation & Utilities

773,900

772,900

754,100

1,000

0.1

19,800

2.6

71,800

72,300

69,300

-500

-0.7

2,500

3.6

Financial Activities

211,400

208,000

206,800

3,400

1.6

4,600

2.2

Professional & Business Services

579,900

576,200

548,000

3,700

0.6

31,900

5.8

Education & Health Services

565,300

564,700

557,800

600

0.1

7,500

1.3

Leisure & Hospitality Services

438,900

439,100

430,700

-200

<0.1

8,200

1.9

Other Services

151,100

152,600

148,800

-1,500

-1.0

2,300

1.5

Government

700,100

713,400

707,600

-13,300

-1.9

-7,500

-1.1

Total Nonfarm

4,133,000

4,155,800

4,057,100

-22,800

-0.5

75,900

1.9

Total Private

3,450,500

3,423,900

3,365,700

26,600

0.8

84,800

2.5

5,600

5,500

5,500

100

1.8

100

1.8

Construction

180,000

177,300

175,900

2,700

1.5

4,100

2.3

Manufacturing

445,300

442,800

444,600

2,500

0.6

700

0.2

Trade, Transportation & Utilities

775,800

771,300

756,400

4,500

0.6

19,400

2.6

Mining & Logging

Information

North Carolina
(Current Employment Statistics)
Not Seasonally Adjusted

Mining & Logging

72,100

71,500

69,500

600

0.8

2,600

3.7

Financial Activities

214,800

209,400

208,700

5,400

2.6

6,100

2.9

Professional & Business Services

583,700

578,400

549,200

5,300

0.9

34,500

6.3

Education & Health Services

560,200

565,000

554,800

-4,800

-0.8

5,400

1.0

Leisure & Hospitality Services

459,100

449,600

450,000

9,500

2.1

9,100

2.0

Other Services

153,900

153,100

151,100

800

0.5

2,800

1.9

Government

682,500

731,900

691,400

-49,400

-6.7

-8,900

-1.3

$16.65

$16.81

$16.63

43.8

43.1

41.7

Information

Mfg. Production Workers (PW) Not Seasonally Adjusted

Mfg. PW Average Hourly Earnings
Mfg. PW Hours Worked

All 2014 Labor Force and CES data for the current month are preliminary.
All 2013 Labor Force and CES estimates have been benchmarked.
Estimates may not add to totals due to rounding.

J u n e
2014

North Carolina
Labor Market Conditions

The North Carolina smoothed seasonally adjusted

unemployment rate was 6.4 percent in June, remaining
unchanged from the previous month, and falling 1.9
percentage points from June 2013. Over the month, the
number of persons unemployed fell by 2,142 (0.7%). The
civilian labor force decreased by 10,719 (0.2%) to 4,688,480.

United States/North Carolina Unemployment Rates

June 2013-June 2014
(Smoothed Seasonally Adjusted**)

9.0
8.0

8.3

7.0 7.5

8.1
7.3

6.0

8.0
7.2

7.2

7.7

7.2

7.5

7.0 7.2

6.7 6.9 6.6 6.7 6.7

6.4

Percent

5.0

6.7

6.3 6.3 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.1 6.4

4.0

Seasonally adjusted Total Nonfarm industry employment

(4,119,500) has decreased 5,800 (0.1%) since May 2014, and
increased 74,800 (1.8%) since June 2013.1 Private sector
employment grew over the month by 7,500 (0.2%) and
82,300 (2.5%) over the year.

3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0

June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. March April May June
2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014
United States

North Carolina

**US data are not smoothed.

North Carolina Total Nonfarm Employment

June 2013-June 2014
(Seasonally Adjusted)

4,140
4,120
4,100

In Thousands

Nationally, Junes unemployment rate was 6.1 percent. The

number of persons unemployed was 9,474,000, while the
civilian labor force was 155,694,000.

4,080
4,060
4,040
4,020
4,000

June
2013

July
2013

Aug. Sept. Oct.

2013 2013 2013

Nov.
2013

Dec.
2013

Jan.
2014

Feb. March April

2014 2014 2014

May
2014

June
2014

Of the major industries for which payroll data are seasonally

adjusted, Professional & Business Services had the
largest over-the-month gain in jobs (3,700; 0.6%), followed
by Financial Activities (3,400; 1.6%), Trade, Transportation &
Utilities (1,000; 0.1%), Construction (600; 0.3%), Education &
Health Services (600; 0.1%), Manufacturing (300; 0.1%) and
Mining & Logging (100; 1.8%). Government (13,300; 1.9%)
had the largest over-the-month decrease, followed by Other
Services (1,500; 1.0%), Information (500; 0.7%), and Leisure
& Hospitality Services (200; >-0.1%).
Since June 2013, Professional & Business Services added
the largest number of jobs (31,900; 5.8%), followed by Trade,
Transportation & Utilities (19,800; 2.6%), Leisure &
Hospitality Services (8,200; 1.9%), Education & Health
Services (7,500; 1.3%), Construction (4,800; 2.8%),
Financial Activities (4,600; 2.2%), Information (2,500; 3.6%),
Other Services (2,300; 1.5%), Manufacturing (600; 0.1%)
and Mining & Logging (100; 1.8%). Government was the only
industry to report a loss over the year at 7,500 (1.1%).
1
It is important to note that industry employment estimates are subject to large
seasonal patterns. Seasonal adjustment factors are applied to the data. However, these
factors may not be fully capturing the seasonal trend. Therefore, when interpreting the
changes in industry employment, it is advisable to focus on over-the-year changes in
both the seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted series.

Changes in Employment by NAICS Industries

June 2013 Compared to June 2014
(Seasonally Adjusted)

900

+19.8

800

-7.5

In Thousands

700

+31.9

600

+7.5

+0.6

500

+8.2

400
300
200

+4.6

+4.8

+2.3

+2.5

100
Construc
on

Manufacturing

Trade,
Transporta
on
& U
li
es

Informa
on

Financial
Ac
vi
es
June 2013

Professional
& Business
Services

Educa
on &
Health
Services

Leisure &
Hospitality
Services

Other Services

Government

June 2014

*NC current month data are preliminary, while other 2014 data are revised and 2013 data have undergone annual revision. US 2014 data reflect new population estimates,
while previous years data have undergone annual revision.

Labor & Economic Analysis Division | North Carolina Department of Commerce | 1 of 2

North Carolina Labor Market Conditions

Over the year, the Service Providing sector (all industries

except Mining & Logging, Construction, and Manufacturing)
showed an increase of 71,000 (2.1%) jobs. Professional &
Business Services experienced the largest employment
increase with 34,500 (6.3%), followed by Trade, Transportation
& Utilities (19,400; 2.6%), Leisure & Hospitality Services (9,100;
2.0%), Financial Activities (6,100; 2.9%), Education & Health
Services (5,400; 1.0%), Other Services (2,800; 1.9%) and
Information (2,600; 3.7%). Government (8,900; 1.3%) had the
only over-the-year decrease.
The Goods Producing sector increased by 4,900 (0.8%) jobs
over the year. Construction experienced the largest employment
increase with 4,100 (2.3%), followed by Manufacturing (700;
0.2%) and Mining & Logging (100; 1.8%).
Food had the largest amount of manufacturing employment
with 51,600 in June 2014. Both Chemical and Wood Product had
the largest net over-the-year increase at 1,300. Other
manufacturing industries with over-the-year gains were:
Transportation Equipment, 1,100; Furniture & Related Product,
900; Fabricated Metal Product, 800; Machinery, 500; Plastics &
Rubber Products, 100; and Printing, 100.
Average Weekly Hours for manufacturing production workers in
June increased 42 minutes from Mays revised rate of 43.1.
Average Hourly Earnings fell by $0.16 to $16.65, as Average
Weekly Earnings grew by $4.76 to $729.27.
Regular Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance (UI)
totaled 24,209 in June, increasing 903 from May. Less than 1
percent of Initial Claims for June 2014 were attached to a
payroll, meaning that employees expect to be recalled to their
jobs.
A total of $36,846,105 in regular UI benefits was paid in
June to 40,347 claimants statewide a decrease of 2,035
claimants since May 2014.
For the 12-month period ending June 2014, $717,849,262 was
paid from all programs, both state and federal. The UI Trust
Fund balance at the end of June was in the red ($976,599,197).
The State Reserve Fund balance was $52,279,881.

Selected Manufacturing Industries With Job Losses

June 2013-June 2014
(Not Seasonally Adjusted)

0.0

-0.3

In Thousands

-0.5

-0.8

-1.0

-0.6

-0.7

-0.6

-1.1
-1.5

Computer &
Food
Electronic Manufacturing
Product

Apparel

Beverage & Texle Product Texle Mills

Tobacco
Mills
Product

Selected Service Industries With Job Gains

June 2013-June 2014
(Not Seasonally Adjusted)

30.0
25.0

In Thousands

The June 2014 not seasonally adjusted Total Nonfarm

employment level of 4,133,000 was 22,800 (0.5%) lower than
the May 2014 revised employment level of 4,155,800. Among
the major industries in North Carolina, Leisure & Hospitality
Services had the largest over-the-month increase in
employment at 9,500 (2.1%), followed by Financial Activities
(5,400; 2.6%), Professional & Business Services (5,300; 0.9%),
Trade, Transportation & Utilities (4,500; 0.6%), Construction
(2,700; 1.5%), Manufacturing (2,500; 0.6%), Other Services
(800; 0.5%), Information (600; 0.8%) and Mining & Logging
(100; 1.8%). Government (49,400; 6.7%) had the largest overthe-month decrease, followed by Education & Health
Services (4,800; 0.8%).

23.9

20.0
15.0

9.4

10.0

9.1

8.5

7.8
4.8

5.0
0.0

Admin &
Accom. &
Professional,
Waste Mgmt Food Services Scien
c &
Tech.

Retail Trade

Wholesale
Trade

Educaonal
Services

UI Taxes Collected and NC Regular UI Benefits Paid

June 2013-June 2014
$1,800,000,000

$1,613,294,359

$1,500,000,000
$1,200,000,000
$900,000,000

$673,641,005
$600,000,000
$300,000,000

$151,236

$0
UI Taxes Collected

UI Bene
ts Paid

Interest Received

Labor & Economic Analysis Division | North Carolina Department of Commerce | 2 of 2

 Technical Notes
Technical Notes
This release presents labor force and unemployment estimates from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)
program. Also presented are nonfarm payroll employment estimates the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program.
The LAUS and CES programs are both federal-state cooperative endeavors.
Labor force and unemployment--from the LAUS program
Definitions. The labor force and unemployment estimates are based on the same concepts and definitions as those used
for the official national estimates obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a sample survey of households
that is conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the U.S. Census Bureau. The LAUS program measures
employment and unemployment on a place-of-residence basis. The universe for each is the civilian noninstitutional
population 16 years of age and over. Employed persons are those who did any work at all for pay or profit in the reference
week (the week including the 12th of the month) or worked 15 hours or more without pay in a family business or farm,
plus those not working who had a job from which they were temporarily absent, whether or not paid, for such reasons
as bad weather, labor-management dispute, illness, or vacation. Unemployed persons are those who were not employed
during the reference week (based on the definition above), had actively looked for a job sometime in the 4-week period
ending with the reference week, and were currently available for work; persons on lay-off expecting recall need not be
looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The labor force is the sum of employed and unemployed persons. The
unemployment rate is the number of unemployed as a percent of the labor force.
Method of estimation. Statewide estimates are produced using an estimation algorithm administered by the BLS. This
method, which underwent substantial enhancement at the beginning of 2005, utilizes data from several sources, including the CPS, the CES, and state unemployment insurance (UI) programs. Each month, census division estimates are
controlled to national totals, and state estimates are then controlled to their respective division totals. Substate estimates
are controlled to their respective state totals. For more information about LAUS estimation procedures, see the BLS
website at www.bls.gov/lau/laumthd.htm
Revisions. Labor force and unemployment data for the previous month reflect adjustments made in each subsequent
month, while data for prior years reflect adjustments made at the end of each year. The monthly revisions incorporate
updated model inputs, while the annually revised estimates reflect updated population data from the U.S. Census Bureau, any revisions in the other data sources, and model reestimation. In most years, historical data for the most recent
five years (both seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted) are revised near the beginning of each calendar year,
prior to the release of January estimates.
Seasonal adjustment. The LAUS program introduced smoothed seasonally adjusted (SSA) estimates in January 2010.
These are seasonally-adjusted data that have incorporated a long-run trend smoothing procedure, resulting in estimates
that are less volatile than those previously produced. The estimates are smoothed using a filtering procedure, based on
moving averages, to remove the irregular fluctuations from the seasonally-adjusted series, leaving the trend. The same
process is used on both historical and current year estimates. For more information about the smoothing technique, see
the BLS website at www.bls.gov/lau/lassaqa.htm.
Area definitions. The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the
U.S. Office of Management and Budget on December 1, 2009. A detailed list of the geographic definitions is available
online at www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.
Employment--from the CES program
Definitions. Employment data refer to persons on establishment payrolls who receive pay for any part of the pay period
that includes the 12th of the month. Persons are counted at their place of work rather than at their place of residence;

those appearing on more than one payroll are counted on each payroll. Industries are classified on the basis of their
principal activity in accordance with the 2012 version of the North American Industry Classification System.
Method of estimation. CES State and Area employment data are produced using several estimation procedures. Where
possible these data are produced using a weighted link relative estimation technique in which a ratio of current-month
weighted employment to that of the previous-month weighted employment is computed from a sample of establishments
reporting for both months. The estimates of employment for the current month are then obtained by multiplying these
ratios by the previous months employment estimates. The weighted link relative technique is utilized for data series
where the sample size meets certain statistical criteria.
For some employment series, relatively small sample sizes limit the reliability of the weighted link-relative estimates. In
these cases, BLS uses the CES small domain model (SDM) to generate employment estimates. The SDM combines the
direct sample estimates (described above) and forecasts of historical (benchmarked) data to decrease the volatility of the
estimates. For more detailed information about the CES small domain model, refer to the BLS Handbook of Methods.
Annual revisions. Employment estimates are adjusted annually to a complete count of jobs, called benchmarks, derived
principally from tax reports that are submitted by employers who are covered under state unemployment insurance
(UI) laws. The benchmark information is used to adjust the monthly estimates between the new benchmark and the
preceding one and also to establish the level of employment for the new benchmark month. Thus, the benchmarking
process establishes the level of employment, and the sample is used to measure the month-to-month changes in the
level for the subsequent months.
Seasonal adjustment. Payroll employment data are seasonally adjusted at the statewide supersector level. In some states,
the seasonally adjusted payroll employment total is computed by aggregating the independently adjusted supersector
series. In other states, the seasonally adjusted payroll employment total is independently adjusted. Revisions of historical data for the most recent 5 years are made once a year, coincident with annual benchmark adjustments.
Reliability of the estimates
The estimates presented in this release are based on sample surveys, administrative data, and modeling and, thus, are
subject to sampling and other types of errors. Sampling error is a measure of sampling variability--that is, variation that
occurs by chance because a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed. Survey data also are subject to nonsampling errors, such as those which can be introduced into the data collection and processing operations. Estimates not
directly derived from sample surveys are subject to additional errors resulting from the specific estimation processes used.
Model-based error measures for seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data and for over-the-month and overthe-year changes to LAUS estimates are available online at www.bls.gov/lau/lastderr.htm. Measures of sampling error
for state CES data at the total nonfarm and supersector levels are available online at www.bls.gov/sae/790stderr.htm.
Release Dates

The next unemployment update is scheduled for Wednesday, July 30, 2014 when the county unemployment rates
for June 2014 will be released.
The complete 2014 data release schedule can be accessed at:
http://www.nccommerce.com/Portals/47/Documents/2014_NC_Release_Dates.pdf