Asheville area unemployment continues to drop

Driven by job gains in the hospitality and leisure, unemployment in the Asheville metro area declined again in April, from 9.4 percent to 8.4 percent, according to numbers from the state Employment Security Commission. The drop was part of statewide job growth, with 99 out of 100 counties in North Carolina showing decreasing unemployment.

The metro area includes Buncombe, Haywood, Madison and Henderson counties. Unemployment also declined in Buncombe, dropping from 9 percent to 8.2 percent.

The lion’s share of the job growth came from the addition of about 1,000 jobs in the hospitality and leisure field, with some gains in government and business jobs as well, according to the statistics. Another factor that contributed to the decline in unemployment was the lack of job losses in the construction and manufacturing fields, which have shown major job losses throughout the economic downturn.

The numbers are not adjusted to account for seasonal employment.

— David Forbes, senior reporter

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

2 thoughts on “Asheville area unemployment continues to drop

  1. greg

    how much of your job loss in construction and manufacturing is due to our huge illegal population.

  2. Piffy!

    yeah, greg, i’m sure its all due to mexicans. Hell, i bet we can blame them for the weather, too.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.