Economist: NC to add 90,000 Jobs in 2013

NC State University Economist Michael Walden spoke to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce Wednesday about the State’s economic outlook. According to Dr. Walden, “We’re going to see a better economy this year,” and North Carolina will likely add 90,000 jobs in 2013.  That’s great news for struggling North Carolinians who have suffered under one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates for years.

Dr. Walden recently wrote about North Carolina’s economic outlook:

 “North Carolina’s growth in jobs since the bottom of the recession (February 2010) now exceeds the comparable growth rate in jobs at the national level. Specifically, from February 2010 to November 2012, North Carolina added jobs at a 3.8 percent rate, compared to 3.6 percent for the nation. Also, both North Carolina’s and the nation’s unemployment rates have now dropped 2.3 percentage points from their peak. Of course, the state is by no means out of the woods from the job losses suffered during the recession…The state lost 8 percent of its job base during the recession, compared to 6 percent for the nation. Yet the fact that our state’s job growth in the last three years has now exceeded the nation’s pace is encouraging.”