NC Unemployment Rate Falls To Nearly Half Of Lockdown's Peak

North Carolina’s unemployment rate dropped markedly in August, falling to nearly half the record rate during the spring at the height of restrictions issued during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state Department of Commerce says last month's rate was 6.5%, compared to 8.5% in July. The state rate for April was 12.9%. The jobless figures for August mask partly the reduction in the overall number of people in the workforce by almost 72,000 compared to July. That could signal that some residents have stopped looking for work. Almost 388,000 fewer people were working in August compared to August 2019.