County jobless rate edges up again

But nearby counties had larger increases By WILLIAM KEESLER The Dispatch Davidson County’s unemployment rate edged upward in June to its highest level in three and a half years. Proportionally, however, the increase was not as great as for the 10-county Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point Combined Statistical Area, of which Davidson is part, or for the entire state. According to not seasonally adjusted data released Friday by the N.C. Employment Security Commission, the county jobless rate increased from 6.5 percent in May to 6.7 percent in June. But the regional rate climbed from 5.9 percent to 6.4 percent over the same period. The statewide rate rose from 5.8 percent to 6.2 percent. “I think that’s a good sign,” Pat Hillard, manager of the state ESC office in Lexington, said of the smaller Davidson County increase. “It... [read full story]