The austerity budget of North Carolina's Republican-led General Assembly continues to kill jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that on a seasonally-adjusted basis North Carolina's unemployment rate rose in September to 10.5 percent and its nonfarm payroll employment fell by 22,200 jobs. North Carolina had the dubious distinction of leading the nation in job losses.
In March of this year, unemployment was at 9.7 percent, and there were 3.890 million jobs in the state. Through September, three months into the Republicans' fiscal-year 2012 budget, unemployment has now climbed to 10.5 percent, while nonfarm payroll employment has dropped to 3.863 million jobs.
North Carolina continues to underperform relative to the rest of the county. In September, the national unemployment rate was 9.1 percent, and the country added just over 100,000 jobs. Since March, the country has added nearly 600,000 jobs. National job growth hasn't been spectacular, but there has been steady job growth for more than a year. In contrast, North Carolina's job situation has deteriorated.
