NC unemployment rate falls to 9.6 percent

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — North Carolina’s unemployment rate has declined for a seventh straight month, and stands at 9.6 percent. The state Employment Security Commission released the numbers for September on Friday.

The August rate was 9.7 percent.

For the first time since March 2008, the state unemployment rate isn’t higher than the national jobless rate.

The largest job increases came in government, which added roughly 9,600 workers to payrolls last month. The largest job loss came in the manufacturing sector, which lost about 3,800 jobs.

Over the last 12 months, non-farm employment has grown by roughly 49,000 jobs.

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