County unemployment stats released
Well, the numbers are in, and it looks like the Greensboro/High Point metro area rested pretty much in the middle last month in terms of unemployment rates throughout the state.
Unemployment in the county went up slightly last month - from 4.6 percent to 4.9 percent, or an overall change of about 6.5 percent.
The county remains one of 35 in the state with a rate at or below 5 percent, keeping company locally with Forsyth County. Rockingham and Alamance counties continue to post unemployment rates above 5 percent, but no local county saw much more than a 7 percent change from January to February.
But Guilford was one of the five counties receiving the highest amount in unemployment insurance benefits in the state last month, according to the Employment Security Commission. The state paid out $3.7 million in benefits here last month, less than Mecklenburg and Wake counties each received, but more than was allocated to either Forsyth or Davidson county.
The commission reported that total state payouts on unemployment were down last month compared to January, and 103,000 more people in the state were employed last month than during February of 2005.
"While there was some increase in rates this month, we are still encouraged by strong employment numbers throughout the state," commission Chairman Harry Payne said in a news release.
Overall, the state's February unemployment rate was 5.1 percent, an increase from a January rate of 4.8 percent. The metro area with the lowest unemployment was Raleigh/Cary, while the highest unemployment - 6.9 percent - was recorded in the Rocky Mount MSA.
The Greensboro/High Point area gained the most jobs in professional and business services and sustained its losses in trade, transportation, warehousing and utilities, according to the commission's detailed report.
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