Lincoln County’s unemployment rate for the month of January went up from a 5.8 in December to a 5.9 in January.
Judi Morton, manager at Lincoln County’s Employment Security Commission said the small increase is linked to the layoffs after the Christmas hires.
At this time last year, Lincoln county’s rate was 7.1 percent.
“We are still on the downward trend fortunately,†Morton said.
Surrounding counties also experienced increases.
Catawba County’s rate rose from a 6.0 in December to 6.5 in January.
Cleveland County rose from a 7.0 in December to a 7.2 in January.
Gaston County went up from a 6.0 to a 6.2 in January.
The statewide not seasonally adjusted rate at 5.5 percent represents a fall over a 12-month period. It was 6.3 percent in January 2004.
The unemployment rate rose in 86 North Carolina counties during the month of January. Seven counties experienced a drop and the rates remained the same in seven.
Orange County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 3.5 percent. Hyde County had the highest rate at 10.7 percent.
North Carolina’s unemployment rate dropped to 5 percent for the month of January, the lowest since November 2004. It dropped .9 percentage points from a 5.9 in January 2004.
The rate is down from December’s rate of 5.3.
For the ninth consecutive month, the unemployment rate remained below the national average which was 5.2 percent.
by Amy Wadsworth
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