Macon County’s jobless rate fell to 6.6 percent in June, down from 10.9 percent in May.
The county’s unemployment rate is the lowest in the seven far-western counties. Graham County had the highest rate at 9.3 percent, followed by Haywood and Jackson counties at 8.1 percent, Swain at 8.0 percent, Cherokee at 7.8 percent, and Clay at 7.2 percent.
The N.C. Department of Commerce reported 556 job openings in Macon County.
“It looks like we’re rebuilding our labor force, from 13,600 in April to 14,650 in June,” said Tommy Jenkins, director of the Macon County Economic Development Council. “I know there are lots of jobs available. Old Edwards Inn in Highlands has bout 64 job openings. Businesses are looking for workers.”
The overall rate for the region was 7.8 percent, down from 14.3 percent in May. The state’s jobless rate fell to 7.9 percent in June from 12.7 percent in May.
Macon’s jobless rate stood at 4.1 percent in June 2019.
Unemployment rates decreased in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties in June. Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 11.5 percent, while Duplin had the lowest at 5.4 percent. All 15 of the state’s metro areas experienced decreases. Among the metro areas, Fayetteville had the highest rate at 10.0 percent and New Bern had the lowest at 6.7 percent. The June not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 7.9 percent for the state.
The number of workers employed statewide (not seasonally adjusted) increased in June by 214,058 to 4,439,240, while those unemployed decreased by 232,889 to 380,123. Since June 2019, the number of workers employed statewide decreased 445,126, while those unemployed increased 166,971.