Special to Iredell Free News

RALEIGH — The state’s seasonally adjusted July unemployment rate was 8.5 percent, increasing  one point from June’s revised rate. The national rate decreased 0.9 of a percentage point to 10.2 percent.

North Carolina’s July 2020 unemployment rate increased 4.6 percentage points from a year ago. The number of people employed increased 72,211 over the month to 4,502,345 and decreased 382,495 over the year. The number of people unemployed increased 62,712 over the month to 419,812 and increased 220,318 over the year.

Seasonally adjusted Total Nonfarm industry employment, as gathered through the monthly establishment survey, increased 57,200 to 4,286,300 in July.

Major industries experiencing increases were Government, 43,400; Leisure & Hospitality Services, 8,500; Professional & Business Services, 4,800; Trade, Transportation & Utilities, 3,600; Education & Health Services, 1,900; Construction, 1,500; and Financial Activities, 700. Major industries experiencing decreases were Manufacturing, 5,600; Other Services, 1,000; Information, 500, and Mining & Logging, 100.

Since July 2019, Total Nonfarm jobs decreased 291,700 with the Total Private sector decreasing by 295,600 and Government increasing by 3,900.

The only over-the-year increase among major industries was in Government, 3,900. Major industries experiencing decreases were Leisure & Hospitality Services, 128,400; Education & Health Services, 42,400; Manufacturing, 40,600; Trade, Transportation & Utilities, 32,300; Professional & Business Services, 30,700; Construction, 9,200; Other Services, 5,700; Information, 5,000; Financial Activities, 900; and Mining & Logging, 400.