Charlotte’s jobless rate continues to drop as businesses keep hiring

The unemployment rate in the Charlotte metro area declined in May from April as businesses, especially those in leisure and hospitality, hired more workers.

The region’s jobless rate fell to 4.5 percent in May from 4.8 percent in April, the N.C. Commerce Department said in a report this week. In May of 2015, the area’s unemployment rate was 5.7 percent.

Charlotte’s net employment level rose by 2,500 jobs from April to May. The leisure and hospitality sector added 2,600 jobs, and manufacturing rose by 1,600. In the professional and business services sector, employment fell by 2,600 jobs, according to the report.

Over the last year, employment in the Charlotte metro area, which includes Concord and Gastonia, has risen by 22,200.

Earlier this month, the N.C. Commerce Department reported that the state’s unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in May. The national unemployment rate was 4.7 percent in May, the U.S. Labor Department said.

Jobless rates dropped in 98 of the 100 of North Carolina’s counties last month. Rates were unchanged in two. In Mecklenburg County, the jobless rate fell to 4.4 percent in May from 4.7 percent the prior month. Here are the rates in neighboring counties:

▪ Cabarrus County’s rate fell to 4.3 percent from 4.5 percent

▪ Gaston County’s rate fell to 5 percent from 5.1 percent

▪ Iredell County’s rate fell to 4.5 percent from 4.7 percent

▪ Lincoln County’s rate fell to 4.4 percent from 4.6 percent

▪ Union County’s rate fell to 4.1 percent from 4.3 percent

This story was originally published June 30, 2016 at 9:01 AM with the headline "Charlotte’s jobless rate continues to drop as businesses keep hiring."