High Country Workforce Development Board

Regional Labor Market Snapshot

High Country Region

L A B O RMARKET OVERVIEW

NC Department of Commerce | Labor & Economic Analysis | 919.707.1500 | lead@nccommerce.com

-2%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

Mar-16

Jun-16

Sep-16

Dec-16

Mar-17

Jun-17

Sep-17

Dec-17

Mar-18

Jun-18

Sep-18

Dec-18

Mar-19

Jun-19

Sep-19

Dec-19

Mar-20

May 2020

March 2020UnemploymentRates*

High Country4.4%

3.4 4.1 4.8 5.8 7.5 13.1

Alleghany6.0%Ashe

4.4%

Watauga3.7%

Avery4.6%

Mitchell5.3%

Wilkes4.7%

Yancey4.5%

Trending

REgIOnAl EMplOyMEnT*

3,696 Fewer people Workingin March than previous month

2,297 Fewer people Workingthan same period one year ago

High Country Total = 91,025

OnlInE JOB ADs

UnEMplOyMEnT*

High Country Total = 4,208March 2020

Current previous

Region 4.4% 3.8%

nC 4.2% 3.7%

Us 4.5% 3.8%

TAxABlE RETAIl sAlEs

12.1% Higherthan same period one year ago

High Country Total = $209,837,671

Source: NC Dept. of RevenueNote: February 2020 data most current available at time of release.

METRO JOB gROWTH*

1,800 Fewer Jobsin March than previous month

Asheville Total = 195,500

200 Fewer Jobsin March than previous month

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton Total = 155,300

*March 2020 data are preliminary, previous month’s data are revised while all other data have undergone annual revision All data produced in this publicationare generated by LEAD unless otherwise stated.

This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. For more information, please visit http://www.nccommerce.com/lead/lmo.

5-yearpercent Change in number Employed*

Source: LAUS, Labor & Economic Analysis, NC Dept. of Commerce

951 Online Advertised Vacanciesover past 90 days

20 More Vacanciesthan same period one year agoSource: LEAD/The Conference Board

Last Year’s Employment & Wages by Industry3rd Quarter 2019Industry Establishments Avg. Employment Total Wages

Construction 640 3,592 $38,279,175Manufacturing 195 7,948 $83,428,408

Wholesale Trade 199 2,108 $27,217,797

Retail Trade 850 10,200 $65,315,679

Transportation and Warehousing 153 1,605 $16,624,985

Finance and Insurance 229 1,139 $14,987,485

Real Estate, Rental & Leasing 280 1,138 $9,778,741

Professional, Sci., & Tech. Services 419 1,566 $17,804,044

Health Care & Social Assistance 448 10,027 $108,637,513

Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation 96 2,553 $16,716,432

Accommodation & Food Services 471 9,086 $39,838,874

Other Services 530 1,835 $12,989,138

High Country Workforce Development Board

L A B O RMARKET OVERVIEW

March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 March 2019

Alleghany

Labor Force 4,269 4,428 4,351 4,304

Employed 4,014 4,199 4,109 4,085

Unemployed 255 229 242 219

Rate 6.0 5.2 5.6 5.1

Ashe

Labor Force 12,577 13,044 12,889 12,693

Employed 12,027 12,540 12,347 12,147

Unemployed 550 504 542 546

Rate 4.4 3.9 4.2 4.3

Avery

Labor Force 6,982 7,351 7,242 7,233

Employed 6,661 7,061 6,932 6,919

Unemployed 321 290 310 314

Rate 4.6 3.9 4.3 4.3

Mitchell

Labor Force 5,886 6,007 5,946 6,123

Employed 5,572 5,708 5,625 5,821

Unemployed 314 299 321 302

Rate 5.3 5.0 5.4 4.9

Watauga

Labor Force 28,717 29,831 29,219 29,065

Employed 27,646 28,892 28,226 27,924

Unemployed 1,071 939 993 1,141

Rate 3.7 3.1 3.4 3.9

Wilkes

Labor Force 28,533 29,313 29,280 29,599

Employed 27,206 28,140 27,985 28,352

Unemployed 1,327 1,173 1,295 1,247

Rate 4.7 4.0 4.4 4.2

yancey

Labor Force 8,269 8,523 8,431 8,399

Employed 7,899 8,181 8,062 8,074

Unemployed 370 342 369 325

Rate 4.5 4.0 4.4 3.9

Civilian labor Force Estimates*

March 2020 data are preliminary, previous month’s data are revised while all other data have undergone annual revision All data produced in this publication are generated by LEAD unless otherwise stated..

NC Department of Commerce | Labor & Economic Analysis | 919.707.1500 | lead@nccommerce.com

This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the recipient and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.”

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