North Carolina's jobless rate hit a high of 11.2% in December, according to the Employment Security Commission. The national jobless rate was 10%.
North Carolina's unemployment rate hit a historic high of 11.2 percent in December as the tally of jobs lost by the state's workers since the recession started two years ago neared 250,000.
December's jobless rate of 11.2 percent rose from 10.8 percent in November, the Employment Security Commission said Friday.
"That's a pretty significant jump in the unemployment rate when we've been into the recovery this long," said Harry Davis, the chief economist for the North Carolina Bankers Association and an Appalachian State University banking professor.
Many economists believe the national economy started recovering last summer. But job growth lags an economic rebound because companies need convincing that customers won't quickly disappear again. So unemployment may keep rising at the same time there are other indications that economic prospects are improving.
December marked the eleventh straight month the state's unemployment rate has hovered around 11 percent. In December 2008, the state rate was 8.1 percent.
While December's rate may be revised later, it is fractionally higher than the previous peak of 11.1 percent in May.
The national jobless rate in December was 10 percent, the same as the previous month.
