Mountain Area Works Highlights
- Labor Market Update March 2021 - AVL metro 4.2%
- Land of Sky Regional Council weekly COVID19 call is TODAY, Thursday, April 29 at 1:00 pm
- Did you know 1 in 4 North Carolinians have a criminal record?
- Asheville metro #2 largest drop in labor force and employed residents in NC
- Hendersonville Lightning: Triple Threat: Covid fear, stimulus checks, benefits boost shrink labor pool
- WLOS TV: 'Catastrophic': Mountain businesses say labor crisis is frustrating, complicated
- Asheville metro sees greatest percentage job loss in Carolinas
- East Fork Pottery raises minimum wage to $20 per hour
- Asheville Citizen Times: WNC Job Crisis
- Training for Pratt & Whitney and other advanced manufacturing jobs
- Many left behind in this recovery have something in common: No college degree
- New NC Careers website is live
- WNC Career Expo
- NCWorks Transylvania County Opens Its Doors at Local Campus
- NCWorks Career Center Asheville workshops
- To help increase educational attainment and meet workforce needs help make the Land of Sky region First in FASFA
- NC's unemployment rate continues to fall, down to 5.2% in March
- 3,021 individuals filed an unemployment claim in our region for March 2021
- Land of Sky Regional Council COVID19 Resources
- NCWorks: Work on What's Next
- Mountain Area Careers
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As of March 2021, -10,300 less jobs in our region and 438 less people working compared to March 2020. Compared to the previous month of March 2021, 1,500 more jobs and 1,345 more people working.
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Mountain Area region unemployment rate at 4.2%
For March 2021, our region (Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania Counties) unemployment rate declined to 4.2%. Transylvania County and Henderson County now has the lowest unemployment rates in the region at 4.0%. Buncombe County's unemployment rate declined to 4.3%. Madison County's unemployment rate declined to to 4.1%.All counties in our region are below the state average of 4.6%.
Our region's streak of maintaining the lowest unemployment rate in NC ended in April 2020. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic our region's unemployment rate was second highest in NC, now our region has the #3 lowest unemployment rate in NC. For 61 consecutive months Buncombe County had maintained the lowest unemployment rate of any NC county and for 61 consecutive months the Mountain Area Workforce region (Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania Counties) as well as the Asheville metro had maintained the lowest unemployment rate of any NC region.
There are 8,846 unemployed individuals in our region compared to 10,960 unemployed individuals in our region in February, 11,658 unemployed individuals in our region in January, unemployed individuals in December, 11,844 unemployed individuals in November, 12,278 unemployed individuals in October,14,536 unemployed individuals in September, 14,395 unemployed individuals in August and 19,886 unemployed individuals in July. The good news is that the number of unemployed individuals in our region is about 1/3 what it was in the spring. There were 33,035 unemployed individuals in our region for May 2020 and 32,255 unemployed individuals in our region in April 2020.
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Asheville metro unemployment rate at 4.2%, #4 lowest of any NC metro |
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Asheville metro now (as of March 2021) has the #4 lowest unemployment of any NC metro at 4.2%. This rate is 3.1% higher than the metro unemployment rate of 2.6% of one year ago. The Asheville metro had the greatest percentage decrease in employment in North Carolina in the past year at 6.2% decline.
Buncombe 4.3%
Haywood 4.2%
Henderson 4.0%
Madison 4.1%
Transylvania 4.0%
Compared to March 2020, the Asheville metro lost 10,300 jobs and compared to January 2021 the Asheville metro gained 800 jobs.
Compared to March 2020, the Leisure & Hospitality sector lost 19.0% (-5,500 jobs) of the total jobs in the sector, Other Services lost 9.9% (-1.000 jobs) of the total jobs in the sector, Information lost 15.0% (-300 jobs) of the total jobs in the sector, Manufacturing lost 3.6% (-800 jobs) of the total jobs in the sector, Government lost 5.9% (-1,800 jobs) of the total jobs in the sector, and Education & Health Services lost 4.9% (-1,800 jobs) of the total jobs in the sector. Mining Logging & Construction was unchanged, Professional & Business Services added 3.3% (600 jobs) of the total jobs in the sector, Financial Activities lost 1.6% (-100 jobs) and Trade, Transportation & Utilities added 0.6% (200 jobs) compared one year ago.
Asheville metro has the greatest percentage job losses (-5.2%) in NC in the past year. Year over Year job growth by metro (all NC metros have experienced job declines in the past year):
- Greenville -0.9%
- Jacksonville -1.2%
- New Bern -1.3%
- Raleigh -2.3%
- Wilmington -2.6%
- Burlington -2.7%
- Durham/Chapel Hill -2.7%
- Rocky Mount -2.7%
- Hickory/Lenoir Morganton -3.1%
- Charlotte/Concord/Gastonia -3.2%
- Winston-Salem -3.4%
- Fayetteville -4.1%
- Greensobro/High Point -4.9%
- Goldsboro -5.0%
- Asheville -5.2%
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Land of Sky Regional Council weekly COVID19 call is TODAY, Thursday, April 29 at 1:00 pm |
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The weekly Land of Sky Regional Council COVID19 call TODAY, Thursday, April 29 at 1:00 pm will feature a report from the Governor's office and an update from Vic Isley, President & CEO of Explore Asheville and Wit Tuttle, Executive Director of Visit NC.
To join the meeting please click on the following button to register for the meeting. After registering you will receive an email with the meeting link.
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Explore Asheville | Things to Do, Events, & Hotels
In Asheville there's always a good reason to go exploring. Plan your visit to the Blue Ridge Mountains-find things to do, places to stay, food and drink, music and art-and you may even find a few surprises. get your free guide to Asheville.
Read more
www.exploreasheville.com
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Visit North Carolina - Official Travel Website
When you visit the incredible beauty of North Carolina, you'll be transformed back into your best self. Feel recharged by our vibrant cities, hike to breathtaking mountain vistas that help you breathe easier, and find your inner peace ...
Read more
www.visitnc.com
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April is Second Chance Month in NC |
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SECOND CHANCE MONTH 2021
April is Second Chance Month in NC, a time to consider the challenges facing the more than 20,000 people returning to their communities after leaving prison. At least 1 in 4 NCians have criminal records that often trigger collateral consequences.
Read more
www.ncdps.gov
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Asheville metro #2 largest drop in labor force and employed residents in NC |
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Among North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in February 2021, Asheville had the 2nd largest drop in labor force and employed residents (year over year).
Employed residents were down 6.0%, while jobs were down 6.5% (both in unadjusted terms, February over the year). Data source: NC Department of Commerce, Labor & Economic Analysis Division (LEAD).
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TRIPLE THREAT: Covid fear, stimulus checks, benefits boost shrink labor pool |
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Henderson County News: TRIPLE THREAT
Restaurants are accommodating the hungry herd strolling along Hendersonville's flower-adorned serpentine Main Street, stretching the corps of wait staff and line cooks thin.
Read more
www.hendersonvillelightning...
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'Catastrophic': Mountain businesses say labor crisis is frustrating, complicated |
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'Catastrophic': Mountain biz say labor crisis frustrating
Arby's in Weaverville may "have the meats," but a sign is now on the door because it just doesn't have the workers. The restaurant is now temporarily closed on Sundays because of "challenging hiring conditions,"
Read more
wlos.com
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Asheville metro sees greatest percentage job loss in Carolinas |
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Based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) the Asheville metro has experienced the greatest job loss in the Carolinas as a percentage of total employment between March 2020 and March 2021.
Tourism destination like Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach and Asheville experienced steeper declines than average. However destinations like Charleston and Wilmington that also have substantial hospitality and tourism sectors performed much better. One possible explanation is those economies are more diversified. Charleston and Wilmington have both benefited from robust port growth. Wilmington has a growing tech sector and Charleston is seeing significant manufacturing growth with Boeing and Volvo.
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East Fork Pottery raises minimum wage to $20 per hour |
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$20 an Hour Minimum Wage at East Fork
This week we realized a years-long dream of raising our company-wide minimum wage to $20 an hour.
Read more
eastfork.com
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Training for Pratt & Whitney and other advanced manufacturing jobs |
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Pratt & Whitney Information
Pratt & Whitney, an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations will build a 1 million-square-foot advanced manufacturing center on a 100-acre site in South Asheville.
Read more
abtech.edu
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Adv Manufacturing Training - Blue Ridge Community College
New regional employer Pratt & Whitney, a world leader in the design, manufacture, and service of aircraft engines, has endorsed three of the training courses below (Machining Fundamentals, Industrial Maintenance, and Non-Destructive Testing QA/QC).
Read more
www.blueridge.edu
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Many left behind in this recovery have something in common: No college degree |
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Many left behind in this recovery have no college degree
The latest hiring numbers show encouraging signs that women are returning to the labor force, but major struggles remain for men and women without college degrees
Read more
www.washingtonpost.com
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New NC Careers website is live |
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| NC Careers.org
This assessment can help you learn more about your work values and can help you decide what is important to you in a job. The more a job agrees with your work values, the more likely you are to be satisfied in that job.
Read more
nccareers.org
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The WNC Career Expo was held last week for three days virtually and one day as an in-person event at Rabbit Rabbit in downtown Asheville. The event featured over 70 employers and about 400 job seekers attended.
We thank the employers, job seekers, and many others who made this event possible. The WNC Career Expo is the largest hiring event in Western North Carolina. We plan to offer a fall edition of the WNC Career Expo and details will be forthcoming later this summer.
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WNC Career Expo underway with both virtual and in-person
The virtual portion of the WNC Career Expo started off on Wednesday. Job-seekers can learn about local businesses, meet with employers live via chat or email and attend live webinars.
Read more
wlos.com
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Wide variety of opportunities at WNC Career Expo
Roughly 45 employer booths have been set up outside at Rabbit Rabbit in Asheville since Thursday morning, April 15, for the WNC Career Expo. From restaurants to hotels to healthcare and manufacturing, there are a lot of job openings right now.
Read more
wlos.com
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WNC Career Expo - Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
Employers in Western North Carolina have available positions and want to hire qualified candidates - like you! In-person outdoor WNC Career Expo: Thursday, April 15 from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. ...
Read more
www.ashevillechamber.org
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NCWorks Career Center Asheville workshops
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To increase educational attainment and meet workforce needs help make the Land of Sky region First in FASFA |
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North Carolina's unemployment rate continues to fall; down to 5.2% in March |
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North Carolina's unemployment rate falls to 5.2% in March
North Carolina's unemployment rate fell for the sixth consecutive month in March. The state Commerce Department said on Friday the seasonally adjusted jobless rate decreased from 5. 7% in February to 5. 2%.
Read more
wlos.com
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North Carolina's March Employment Figures Released
The state's seasonally adjusted March unemployment rate was 5.2%%, decreasing 0.5 of a % point from February's revised rate. The national rate decreased 0.2 of a % point to 6.0%. North Carolina's March 2021 rate increased 1.3% from a year ago.
Read more
www.nccommerce.com
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3,021 people filed for unemployment benefits in our region during March |
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Buncombe: 2,160
Henderson: 624
Madison: 106
Transylvania: 131
TOTAL: 3,021
Unemployment Claims by Sector in our Region
Leisure & Hospitality 1,087 (36.0%)
Trade Transportation & Utilities 455 (15.1%)
Unclassified/Unknown 256 (8.5%)
Education & Health Services 322 (10.7%)
Manufacturing 234 (7.7%)
Other Services 118 (3.9%)
Professional & Business Services 299 (9.9%)
Construction 104 (3.4%)
Financial Activities 83 (2.7%)
Information 29 (1.0%)
Public Administration 29 (1.0%)
Natural Resources & Mining 5 (0.2%)
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Land of Sky Regional COVID-19 Response Resources |
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COVID19 Resources and Updates
The focus of Land of Sky Regional Council is supporting our region's response to the COVID-19 public health emergency and the resulting economic crisis. All program work will take place remotely and staff is teleworking when possible.
Read more
www.landofsky.org
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NC Jobs | Mountain Area Careers | Western North Carolina
Create Your Future in the Mountains of Western North Carolina. Find jobs from great employers. Earn a steady living and advance your career.
Read more
www.mountainareacareers.org
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