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If you are unable to access articles in this newsletter, please reach out to [email protected] for a PDF version of the article. | Mountain Area Workforce Development Board 2023 Recognition Luncheon |
A job? Check. A place to live? Not so much. | All over the country, companies are having a hard time hiring workers because there's no affordable - or available - housing nearby. | | |
NC Workforce Development Coalition, Inc. - WCI, Inc | The North Carolina Workforce Development Coalition is a nonprofit organization that helps employers in Western North Carolina develop and sustain recovery friendly workplaces. | | |
Fierce Fellows four-week program supports local justice involved individuals
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NC Department of Commerce, Division of Workforce Solutions initiated the Fierce Fellows program with Dr. Zeb Regan to support justice involved individuals across our state. Mountain Area Workforce Development Board successfully piloted this program with Dr. Regan in the fall of 2023.
The Fierce Fellows program is a soft skills class for justice involved with engaging discussions and knowledgeable material. Fierce Fellows equips individuals with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for creating order, fostering strong family ties, promoting community engagement, and achieving meaningful, sustainable employment.
The students were enrolled in the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) which provided funding from the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board. The students who were enrolled were able to complete and received a certificate at the end of the four week program. The students received career counseling and employment related services from the NCWorks team.
Picture: Program participants at the end of the program at the NCWorks Career Center Asheville with representatives of the NC Department of Commerce and Mountain Area Workforce Development Board.
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American Airlines Dangles $250,000 Bonuses to Poach FedEx and UPS Pilots | Major U.S. passenger airlines are on a hiring spree that has left regional carriers desperate for aviators with enough experience to fill the captain's seat. | | | A3 Education and Workforce Symposium helps local employers meet their talent needs | |
The region’s first educational and workforce symposium took place on November 8th at UNC-Asheville.
This event centered around the concept of align we can collectively achieve results that will lead to stronger educational attainment and skilled workforce outcomes in our Land of Sky communities. Over 20 local organizations representing the four counties in the Land of Sky region presented on their innovative strategies that they are deploying across the educational continuum. In addition, three statewide organizations (ncImpact, myFutureNC, and the Institute for Emerging Issues) provided attendees with information on how our local efforts are intertwined with the statewide momentum behind our collective goals.
This event was planned by the Talent First western cohort consisting of: Henderson County Economic Development Partnership, Transylvania County Economic Alliance, Blue Ridge Community College, Western Carolina University, myFutureNC’s Western Regional Impact Manager, the P20 Council and the Asheville Chamber of Commerce.
|  | Dr. Kimberly Van Noort, Interim Chancellor, UNC Asheville, Cory Blakenship, Economic Opportnity Officer, Dogwood Health Trust, and Dr. Bill Sederburg, Retired University President and P20 Council Founder |
The Low-Wage Pay Surge Is Over, Threatening the Consumer Boom | A loosening labor market is cutting into the leverage and spending power of workers at the bottom, but they aren't moving backward. | | |
How gender disparities are affecting men | Women today are 15% more likely to get an undergraduate degree than men - just one statistic revealing how millions of young men today are struggling to understand how or where they fit in, leading many to feel disconnected. | | |
Unemployment Was the One Economic Problem Europe Didn't Have. No Longer. | The region faces further dampened growth and drained public coffers after a year of near-zero economic growth, slowing job creation and possible layoffs. | | |
Where Are the Workers? - ncIMPACT Initiative | Employers across the state need skilled workers to fill positions, and there are individuals who are not currently in the workforce or are underemployed. | | |
OceanX announces Arden operation will close in January 2024 | ARDEN, N.C. (WLOS) - OceanX, an eCommerce fulfillment center that handles needs for high-volume beauty and wellness brands, has announced its Arden warehouse location on Brevard Road in January 2024. | | |
Layoffs hit NC: Label printing plant closing in Hendersonville, Business NC reports | WRAL TechWire | Atlanta-based Printpack will layoff 90 workers and close its Hendersonville location at the end of the year, according to paperwork filed with the N.C. Department of Commerce. | | |
Labor Shortages, Remote Work Fuel Job Gains for Workers With Disabilities | The share of adults with disabilities in the labor force hit a record this summer. | | |
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Region has 6,274 more people working compared to one year ago.
Unemployment rate in Mountain Area region was 2.7% as of September 2023. As of September 2023, 6,274 more people working compared to September 2022.
Unemployed Individuals by month (Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania Counties):
September 2023 6,987
August 2023 7,702
July 2023 7,470
June 2023 7,551
May 2023 6,752
April 2023 6,466
March 2023 6,916
February 2023 6,696
January 2023 6,808
December 2022 6,285
November 2022 6,781
October 2022 7,343
September 2022 5,953
August 2022 6,938
As of September 2023, the Asheville metro has a record number of jobs, people working and number of people in the labor force.
Note there are some statistical disparities between the data reported for the Asheville metro and the Mountain Area Workforce region as the metro includes Haywood County but does not include Transylvania County. The Mountain Area Workforce region includes Transylvania County but not Haywood County.
Total Labor Force 229,587
Total Employed Labor Force 221,681
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Mountain Area WDB Regional Labor Market Overview | |
Mountain Area WDB Overview | LEAD Analytics | September 2023 Labor Market Overview | | | |
Mountain Area WDB Labor Force | |
Mountain Area WDB Employed Individuals | |
Mountain Area WDB Unemployment Rate | |
Mountain Area WDB Unemployed Individuals | |
Asheville MSA Industry Jobs Compared to One Year Ago | |
Mountain Area WDB Job Openings | |
Mountain Area WDB Taxable Retail Sales
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Asheville metro unemployment rate holds at 2.9%, AVL metro continues it's record touting the lowest unemployment rate of any NC metro | |
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Asheville metro now (as of September 2023) continues to have the lowest unemployment of any NC metro at 2.7%. This rate is down 0.1% from the metro unemployment rate of 2.8% of one year ago. All counties in our region have an unemployment rate at or lower than the statewide rate of 3.3%. Buncombe and Swain Counties continue to have the lowest unemployment rate of any NC county at 2.5%. Henderson is tied for the #3 lowest unemployment rate of any NC at 2.8%.
Buncombe 2.5%
Haywood 2.9%
Henderson 2.8%
Madison 2.9%
Transylvania 3.1%
Monthly job growth by metro:
- Jacksonville 0.5%
- Winston Salem 0.5%
- Goldsboro 0.2%
- Asheville 0.0%
- Burlington 0.0%
- Charlotte/Concord/Gastonia 0.0%
- Greensboro-High Point 0.0%
- Greenville 0.0%
- New Bern 0%
- Rocky Mount 0.0%
- Durham/Chapel Hill -0.1%
- Hickory -0.1%
- Raleigh -0.1%
- Fayetteville -0.2%
- Wilmington -0.5%
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Asheville metro All Employees (Total Individuals Working) 207,900 record high in September 2023 | |
Asheville Metro Labor Force 245,711 (Total Individuals Working or Seeking Employment) record high in September 2023 | |
Around 500 job seekers attend the WNC Career Expo | Over 100 employers participated in the WNC Career Expo on Wednesday, October.25 at the WNC Agricultural Center. | | | |
October 2023 NC Economy Watch: Despite Recent Plant Closures, Layoffs Remain Relatively Uncommon | In this edition of NC Economy Watch, we look at layoff activity in North Carolina. Recent plant closures have rocked local communities and dominated headlines across our state. While these mass layoffs might reflect weakness in parts of the manufacturing sector, they have had only a limited impact on statewide employment statistics and, so far, they do not appear to be signaling a recession. | | | |
Workers Are Doing Less Work for the Same Pay | Employers are offering more paid time off in a strong labor market. Employees are using it. | | | |
Six Recent Enhancements to NCcareers You May Have Missed! | NCcareers.org is where career explorers can find up-to-date NC specific career information to meet their personal and professional needs, interests and goals. The site has recently received a complete data refresh based on the most recent definition of occupations and educational programs - using the latest BLS SOC and US Department of Education CIP taxonomies. | | | |
Workers Keep Getting Big Raises, Just Not as Much as Last Year | Wage and benefits increases have eased but remain strong as central bank officials tackle high inflation. | | | |
Toyota Announces Additional 3,000 Jobs, $8 Billion Investment in Randolph County Battery Manufacturing Site | Toyota has announced plans to invest an additional $8 billion in its electric battery manufacturing site in Randolph County, including hiring another 3,000 employees. This historic announcement comes on the heels of Governor Cooper's meeting with Toyota President Koji Sato during the SEUS/Japan Conference in Tokyo earlier this month. | | | |
When will N.C. school employees see pay raises? | The new state budget gave raises ranging from 3.6 to 10.8% for teachers over the next two years. Teachers can expect their raises by January. | | | |
Upstate company to invest $30 million in new lodging development outside Brevard | An Upstate company plans to build a $30 million lodging development just outside Brevard. | | | |
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Dr. Laura Leatherwood, President, Blue Ridge Community College
"Apprenticeships: Meeting the demand for skilled trades professionals"
| In 2024, the construction industry must source an additional 342,000 new workers beyond normal hiring to avoid backlogs. | | | |
Report highlights disparities for Black students in policing in schools | A new report says Black students in NC are more likely to face disorderly conduct charges and referrals to law enforcement than their white peers. | | | |
NC School Districts, Universities Partner to Combat Pandemic Learning Loss through Research | Sixteen North Carolina public school districts have been selected to join the North Carolina Recovery Practitioners Network, where they will work together with education researchers to develop recovery-focused interventions and evaluation plans to tackle some of the most pressing issues impacting schools and districts | | | |
Transylvania County Students Celebrate Manufacturing Day 2023 - Transylvania Economic Alliance | Manufacturing industries play a critical role in local economies, and the foundation of connecting future generations of Transylvania County residents with career opportunities at local manufacturers was built on Wednesday, October18th. Over 65 students from Brevard and Rosman High Schools toured four different manufacturers throughoutTransylvania County celebrating "Manufacturing Day." | | | |
12 School Districts Earn $800,000 in Grants for Coding & Mobile App Development | This year, a dozen North Carolina school districts will benefit from a total of $800,000 in grants aimed at developing student skills in computer science through coding. | | | |
Create Your Future in the Mountains of Western North Carolina. Find jobs from great employers. Earn a steady living and advance your career. | | | | | | |
