RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina jobseekers are on the watch for whether new hope brought more workers into the labor market, and whether that pushed the unemployment rate to a new high.
The state's Employment Security Commission on Friday releases unemployment data for March. The agency last month reported that the state's jobless rate rose in February to 11.2 percent, the highest since states started their current calculation method in 1976.
The employment data also contained hopeful news. Even though thousands of jobs were cut in February, more than 11,000 workers started searching for a job. Economists say that could be a sign that more people are returning to the work force because they believe more jobs are available.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
