Stanly’s unemployment rate ticks back up to 4.5 percent in June
Published 10:00 am Monday, August 2, 2021
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Stanly County’s unemployment rate for June ticked back up to 4.5 percent, according to new county-specific data from the state’s Department of Commerce, which was released Wednesday.
Stanly had 1,344 people unemployed in June; the rate in May was 4.0 percent, with 1,195 people without jobs. The state’s rate is 4.6 percent.
A total of 30,201 people were employed in June, a slight increase from the 29,651 employed in May.
The June rate is the highest since February, when unemployment was at 5.2 percent.
Unemployment rates increased in 99 counties for the month. A total of 59 counties, including Stanly, had rates below 5 percent in June, down from 76 counties in March.
The federal employment rate was 5.9 percent in June, while the economy added 850,000 jobs jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Stanly County EDC director Candice Lowder said that some fluctuation with the unemployment rate is expected, especially with the coronavirus cases once again increasing due to the Delta variant, which can adversely affect consumer confidence. Compounding the consumer confidence issue, she said, are global supply chain disruptions, resulting in inflation in many sectors.
“These factors, among others, are reshaping employers and job seekers’ behaviors as they plan for the future in a post-COVID economy,” Lowder said.
Only 12,000 North Carolinians filed COVID-19 related initial claims in June, a significant increase from the 21,000 who filed the month before. About 3.8 million claims have been filed in the state since March 15, 2020.
Stanly County had 67 people file COVID-19 related initial unemployment insurance claims (out of 177 total initial claims) in June, a decrease from the 100 who filed COVID-19 claims the month before. There are 107 continued COVID-19 related claims for the month.
The industries most impacted by the pandemic in Stanly were trade, transportation and utilities with 49 claims, manufacturing with 38 claims and educational and health services with 36 claims.
About Chris Miller
Chris Miller has been with the SNAP since January 2019. He is a graduate of NC State and received his Master's in Journalism from the University of Maryland. He previously wrote for the Capital News Service in Annapolis, where many of his stories on immigration and culture were published in national papers via the AP wire.
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