What’s measured This measure focuses on the size and work status of the civilian labor force — numbers employed and unemployed and the unemployment rate for each county, the region and the Combined Statistical Area for 1990, 1995 and 2000 to 2006. (Note that the term “civilian workforce” includes members of the military.) Data for this indicator are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These data look at the work status of people who live in the region. These figures do not provide information about the number of jobs in the region. Other indicators such as employment by industry, average annual wage by industry and number of business establishments help gauge the number of jobs in the region. Thus, the size of the civilian workforce is not the same as total employment by industry and the two figures are not directly comparable. Why it’s measured Measurements of the labor force and its employment status are critical to understanding the viability of the region’s economy. The civilian workforce measures how many people are working or looking for work. The labor force employment numbers indicate how many people have jobs. Unemployment figures, in contrast, suggest how many people are not currently working but are looking for employment. And the unemployment rate is a simple ratio of the number of unemployed to the total civilian workforce. A healthy economy should have high levels of labor force employment and a low unemployment rate. Indicator results In 2006, the Charlotte region had a workforce of 1,215,110, up 9.9 percent from 2000. The number of those employed was 1,153,366, which was an 8.1 percent increase from the 1,066,633 employed in 2000. Not surprisingly, then, the number of people unemployed increased by 58.4 percent from 2000, with 38,980 unemployed, to 2006, when 61,744 people were looking for work. This put the region’s unemployment rate at 5.1 percent for 2006. While this rate was higher than the rate in 2000 of 3.5 percent, the 2006 unemployment rate for the region was lower than the rate for any year since 2000. The region’s unemployment rate is higher than North Carolina’s rate (4.8 percent), but lower than South Carolina’s (6.5). Within the region, most counties saw an increase in their workforces from 2000 through 2006, with Union County experiencing the largest increase at 28.4 percent. Labor force employment likely is up in the region due in part to population increases and in part to an increase in the average number of people per household who are working. With regard to 2006 unemployment rates, Cabarrus and Union Counties had the lowest unemployment rates (4.1 percent and 4.0 percent, respectively) and Chester County had the highest unemployment rate (10.3 percent). Evaluation Almost every county in the region experienced an increase in its unemployment rate from 2000 to 2002. During this time the country was reeling from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which caused many businesses to be more cautious in expansions and production. Since 2003 and 2004, most counties have seen a drop in unemployment rates. But even as regional unemployment rates have fallen and total workforce numbers have risen for the region, half of the region’s counties — especially more rural counties — have seen a drop in total workforce numbers. This suggests that some county economies have recovered faster than others since 2001 and 2002. In many cases, the counties who have experienced falling workforce numbers still have the highest unemployment rates in the region. For example, Anson, Catawba, Gaston, Cleveland and Chester saw workforce declines of 2.1 to 3.7 percent from 2000 to 2005, yet in 2005, they have unemployment rates ranging from 6.1 to 9.2 percent. Thus, even though the region’s employment rate has improved since 2001-02, this recovery does not appear to have been evenly distributed. Counties with diversified economies seem to have weathered the tough economic times the best. Connections Labor force employment figures have important links to measures of demographics. Growth in the region’s workforce is to be expected given the population growth. Population growth, in turn, is driven by the availability of jobs. Labor force employment and unemployment numbers also provide insight into the well-being of the community. High employment can boost the well-being and health of residents, enhance citizen participation and lead to investment in education and the community. |