Area Unemployment Rates Remain Steady

The unemployment rate in Harnett, Sampson and Johnston counties remained steady, according to data released last week.

According to the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Harnett County had a 5 percent unemployment rate in January of this year, marking the third consecutive month without a change.

The last time the unemployment rate dropped below 5 percent came last October when it was 4.6 percent. January of 2017 saw the highest mark at 6.1 percent. The rate remained in the same range throughout 2017 before dropping to the year’s lowest rate in October.

The report lists the labor force in Harnett County at 52,401. Of those, 49,787 are employed leaving 2,614 in the jobless ranks.

The estimate entry wage in all areas in Harnett County is $8.49 while the estimated average wage is $16.88 per hour and the estimated experienced wage is $21.07 per hour.

Sampson County saw its unemployment rate remain steady as well in January with 4.6 percent of the labor force without work.

The December 2017 and January 2018 numbers were a slight drop from the 4.9 percent reported in November.

October saw 2017’s lowest mark in Sampson County at 4.3 percent while the highest came in January of 2017 when the rate peaked at 6 percent before dropping to 5.3 in February.

The department of commerce reported a labor force of 28,730 with 27,399 workers employed. The number of jobless in Sampson County was reported at 1,331.

The report indicated the average entry wage in the county was $8.88 per hour with an estimated average wage of $16.72. The average estimated experienced wage was $20.64 an hour.

Johnston County saw a steady unemployment rate as well notching an area-low 4 percent for the second month in a row, down from November’s 4.1 percent rate.

There was an increase from October to November as the rate rose from 3.8 percent. The lowest of the year was in September of 2017 when the rate stood at 3.7 percent. The highest unemployment rate was last January when the rate climbed to 4.9 percent.

According to the data in the report, Johnston County had a labor force of 93,113 with 89,415 working and 3,698 reported as jobless.

Only Harnett County exceeded the state unemployment rate of 4.7 percent and the national rate of 4.4 percent seasonally unadjusted rates. Across North Carolina the estimated entry wage is $9.49 an hour with an estimated average wage of $21.77 and an estimated experienced wage of $21.91 per hour.

According to the report, the United States has a combined labor force of 161.4 million workers with an estimated 154.4 million currently working and an additional 7.09 million currently reported as jobless. Courtesy The Daily Record