Mountain Area Works Highlights
- Wage Growth and Wage Inequality in NC
- Buncombe County Schools names Dr. Rob Jackson as Superintendent
- Cummins Meritor celebrates 40th anniversary with $41 million investment, 40 new jobs
- Coats American Inc. to close Hendersonville plant, lay off 51 workers
- Workers' Changing Attitudes Tighten Labor Market
- WNC Career Expo - employer registration now open!
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Land of Sky Regional Council receives $1.44 million to support job training in high demand careers in partnership with AB Tech and Blue Ridge Community College
- Buncombe County holds free event for job seekers as local employment opportunities surge
- After four months of historic low unemployment, North Carolina's jobless rate rises slightly
- The jobs employers just can't fill
- NC Workforce Directors visit Western North Carolina
- How Community Colleges Have Pivoted in the Pandemic
- Six Western NC Professionals Chosen for Inaugural NC State University Opportunity
- In Henderson County, job openings outpace job seekers, driving up average income
- Asheville metro 2.9% unemployment rate for July 2022
- Coolest Thing Made In NC
- You Decide: Will We Have the First Full Employment Recession
- State of Our Workforce WNC survey results from 795 employers released
- NCWorks Career Center Asheville workshops September and October 2022
- 289 individuals filed an unemployment claim in our region for June 2022
- NCWorks: Work on What's Next
- Mountain Area Careers
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Wage Growth and Wage Inequality in NC |
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Wage Growth and Wage Inequality in North Carolina
Author: Andrew Berger-Gross We're living through the hottest job market in decades. But while many workers are getting a raise, the top 20% of earners continue to receive most of the wages paid in North Carolina.
Read more
www.commerce.nc.gov
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Buncombe County Schools names Dr. Rob Jackson as Superintendent |
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Buncombe Co Schools names Dr. Rob Jackson as Superintendent
Buncombe County Schools is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Robert (“Rob”) Jackson as the new Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Jackson will succeed Dr. Tony Baldwin as Superintendent.
Read more
www.buncombeschools.org
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Cummins Meritor celebrates 40th anniversary with $41 million investment, 40 new jobs |
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Cummins-Meritor celebrates 40th Anniversary $41m investment
Cummins-Meritor Celebrates 40 Year Anniversary with $41 Million Expansion and 40 Added Jobs
Read more
gohendersoncountync.org
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Coats American Inc. to close Hendersonville plant, lay off 51 workers |
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Coats American to close Hendersonville plant, lay off 51 ...
Coats American Inc. plans to lay off 51 workers, then close its facility in Hendersonville.
Read more
wlos.com
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Workers' Changing Attitudes Tighten Labor Market |
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Workers' Changing Attitudes Tighten Labor Market
Pandemic has altered what job conditions, hours, and pay workers are willing to accept. The effect is to make labor scarcer and more expensive than ordinary economic indicators show.
Read more
www.wsj.com
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WNC Career Expo - employers register now! |
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Great companies start with great people, and you’ll find both at the WNC Career Expo.
Plan to join us Tuesday, October 11 from 11 AM – 4 PM at the Davis Event Center at the WNC Agricultural Center, located at 761 Boylston Highway in Fletcher.
Presented by the Mountain Area Workforce Board and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Western North Carolina businesses and organizations are ready to promote career opportunities for job seekers in advanced manufacturing, technology, health care, tourism, professional services, and other high-growth industries. All job seekers are encouraged to attend this one-stop opportunity to meet directly with representatives from companies hiring now.
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WNC Career Expo
Plan to join us Tuesday, October 11 from 11 AM - 4 PM at the Davis Event Center at the WNC Agricultural Center, located at 761 Boylston Highway in Fletcher. Presented by the Mountain Area Workforce Board and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Read more
www.ashevillechamber.org
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Land of Sky Regional Council receives $1.44 million to support job training in high demand careers in partnership with AB Tech and Blue Ridge Community College |
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Land of Sky Regional Council will partner with community colleges to increase work-based learning opportunities in select high-demand industries. Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College and Blue Ridge Community College will partner with the LOSRC to establish and expand work-based learning training programs and apprenticeships with local businesses throughout the region that have a great need for skilled employees.
The industries being targeted in the region include electrical, solar, manufacturing, general construction, masonry, HVAC, and plumbing. The purpose of the initiative is to create highly skilled employees that are well-prepared to meet the challenges of in-demand jobs both now and in the future.
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DOL awards $34.4M in grants improve access to jobs, training
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor announced today - in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Delta Regional Authority - awards totaling $34,375,000, to provide education, training and supportive services.
Read more
www.dol.gov
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Buncombe County holds free event for job seekers as local employment opportunities surge
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Buncombe County holds free event for job seekers
The event was organized by Project Fresh Start, an initiative by Buncombe County to support people seeking new employment opportunities, especially as the area sees a plethora of job openings.
Read more
wlos.com
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After four months of historic low unemployment, North Carolina's jobless rate rises slightly |
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North Carolina's jobless rate rises slightly
North Carolina's historically low unemployment rate rose slightly in August.
Read more
wlos.com
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The jobs employers just can't fill |
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The jobs employers just can't fill
Throughout the past few years, workers have been resigning from jobs in record numbers. Some have been switching careers, some have been job-hopping for faster advancement and some have left the workforce altogether.
Read more
www.bbc.com
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NC Workforce Directors visit WNC |
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NC Workforce Directors visited Asheville earlier this week to develop strategies to help our state meet employer workforce needs. This is the first time the Workforce Directors have met in WNC in many years.
The meetings were held at the AB Tech Ferguson Allied Health and Workforce Development Building.
The group received a tour of New Belgium Brewery and heard presentations from AB Tech President Dr. John Gossett, Philip Cooper, INspire Coordinator at Land of Sky Regional Council and Emily Nicholson, executive director of the Land of Sky P20 Council.
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NCAWDB - NC Association of Workforce Development Boards
NC Association of Workforce Development Boards is voice for workforce development in NC. Comprised of 22 local workforce boards with 500+ members, NCAWDB is dedicated to enhancing NC’s workforce by supporting local workforce dev boards statewide
Read more
www.ncawdb.org
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How Community Colleges Have Pivoted in the Pandemic |
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How Community Colleges Have Pivoted in the Pandemic
I asked two prominent community-college presidents—Laura B. Leatherwood of Blue Ridge Community College in North Carolina and Beverly Walker-Griffea of Mott Community College in Michigan—how they’ve done this.
Read more
time.com
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'Work Hard, Play Hard' and More Phrases That Can Scare Away Job Applicants |
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Phrases That Can Scare Away Job Applicants
When Becky Phillips, a pharmaceutical industry scientist, has looked for work, one phrase in job ads has turned her away from applying to otherwise promising-sounding opportunities: "fast-paced environment."
Read more
www.wsj.com
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Six WNC Professionals Chosen for Inaugural NC State University Opportunity |
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Talent First Economics Community Cohort Announced
IEI announces 5 regional teams that will make up the Talent First Economics community cohort. The cohort will serve as a peer learning network for 2023 Emerging Issues Forum to increase collaboration among workforce, economic & community development.
Read more
iei.ncsu.edu
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In Henderson County, job openings outpace job seekers, driving up average income |
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In Henderson County, job openings outpace job seekers
In Henderson Co, job openings are outpacing job seekers, leading to significant jumps in wages; however, wage hikes are still not keeping up with the cost of living. With over 3K job openings in Henderson Co & only around 2K unemployed individuals.
Read more
www.blueridgenow.com
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Unemployment rate in Mountain Area region 2.9% as of July 2022. As of July 2022, 9,683 more people working compared to July 2021. 1,893 more people working compared to June 2022.
6,562 unemployed individuals in July 2022, 7,591 unemployed individuals in June 2022, 6,792 unemployed individuals in May 2022, 6,198 unemployed individuals in April 2022, 6,347 unemployed individuals in March 2022, 6,603 unemployed individuals in February 2022 compared to 6,669 in January 2022, compared to 5,584 in December 2021 compared to 6,038 in November 2021 compared to 6,547 in October 2021 6,917 in September 2021.
Total Labor Force 222,885.
Total Employed Labor Force 216,323.
Our region has completely recovered the labor force compared to prepandemic. Labor force before the pandemic was 219,952. We are 2,933 workers above the labor force prior to the pandemic. Our region is also above by 2,977 jobs of the numbers of individuals employed prior 213,346 to the pandemic.
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Mountain Area WDB unemployment rate |
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Mountain Area WDB Labor Force |
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Mountain Area WDB Employed Individuals |
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Mountain Area WDB Unemployed Individuals |
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Asheville MSA Industry Jobs Compared To One Year Ago |
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Mountain Area WDB Job Openings |
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Mountain Area WDB Taxable Retail Sales |
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Asheville metro unemployment rate at 2.9%, lowest of any NC metro |
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Asheville metro now (as of July 2022) the lowest unemployment of any NC metro at 2.9%. This rate is 1.5% points lower than the metro unemployment rate of 4.4% of one year ago.
Buncombe 2.9%
Haywood 3.0%
Henderson 3.0%
Madison 3.3%
Transylvania 3.1%
All counties in our region are in the top 30 in NC for lowest unemployment rate. Buncombe has lowest unemployment rate in NC for any county.
Year over Year job growth by metro:
- Goldsboro 1.0%
- Burlington 0.9%
- Jacksonville 0.8%
- Asheville 0.7%
- Charlotte/Concord/Gastonia 0.7%
- Rocky Mount 0.7%
- Winston-Salem 0.7%
- Durham/Chapel Hill 0.7%
- Fayetteville 0.6%
- Raleigh 0.5%
- Greensboro/High Point 0.4%
- New Bern 0.4%
- Hickory/Lenoir/Morganton 0.3%
- Wilmington 0.1%
- Greenville 0.0%
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Coolest Thing Made In North Carolina features Western NC products |
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Coolest Thing Made in NC: A-B Emblem Official NASA Patch
Which made-in-NC product will take this year's title?
Read more
www.wishpond.com
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Coolest Thing Made in NC: Shibumi Shade
Headquartered in Raleigh, hand-sewn in Asheboro and Asheville, N.C.
Read more
www.wishpond.com
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You Decide: Will We Have the First Full Employment Recession? |
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Will We Have the First Full Employment Recession?
While the economy has met one litmus test for a recession of two consecutive quarters of negative growth in GDP doubters point to the still strong job market.
Read more
cals.ncsu.edu
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State of Our Workforce WNC survey results from 795 employers released |
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Overall, respondents to the 2022 survey anticipate hiring between 22,150 and 44,140 total new employees in the next three years.
- Healthcare and Manufacturing Industry employers anticipate the largest hiring needs.
- Employers seek workers with degrees and credentials.
- Employers will rely on on-the-job training to develop and strengthen existing workforces.
- Employers cite housing cost/availability, wages and child care as the most significant obstacles to talent recruitment and retention.
- Employers continue to hire through friends and networks, but are also utilizing online job portals to source their talent.
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The average talent pipeline rating was 2.83 out of 5.
- Internships are the most preferred method of K-12 student engagement but methods vary by industry.
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The State of Our Workforce: Western NC
Our goal with The State of Our Workforce: Western NC is to identify solutions to close the skills gap and strengthen our local talent pool -which will ensure that companies in our area have the resources and people they need to succeed.
Read more
www.ashevillechamber.org
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Challenges mountain biz owners likely to face in coming yrs
A new survey has provided insight into the successes and challenges of the workforce in Western North Carolina.
Read more
wlos.com
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NCWorks Career Center Asheville workshops September and October 2022 |
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289 people filed for unemployment benefits in our region June 2022 |
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Buncombe: 214
Henderson: 59
Madison: 8
Transylvania: 8
TOTAL: 289
Unemployment Claims by Sector in our Region
Leisure & Hospitality 43 (14.9%)
Trade Transportation & Utilities 50 (17.3%)
Unclassified/Unknown 27 (9.3%)
Educational & Health Services 58 (20.1%)
Manufacturing 26 (9.0%)
Other Services 9 (3.1%)
Professional & Business Services 45 (15.6%)
Construction 12 (4.2%)
Financial Activities 10 (3.5%)
Information (Not disclosed)
Public Administration (Not disclosed)
Natural Resources & Mining 0 (0.0%)
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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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