North Carolina’s jobless rate rose to 7.9 percent in November, the highest level in 25 years, the state reported Friday. A year ago, state unemployment was 4.7 percent.

The U.S. unemployment rate in November was 6.7 percent.

“Global and national economic challenges have had an impact on North Carolina,” said Harry Payne Jr., head of the N.C. Employment Security Commission. “Many employers are faced with layoffs or cutting back hours.”

Some of the biggest losses occurred in manufacturing and professional and business services. Those sectors were down 57,600 jobs, state figures show.

The nation’s bad economic news shows no sign of abating.

Bank of America recently announced plans to cut 30,000 to 35,000 jobs over the next three years, or 10 to 11 percent of its workforce. Job losses will occur at Wachovia as well, as Charlotte’s other big bank is swallowed by California’s Wells Fargo.

And Duke Energy will freeze salaries for about half of its 18,000 workers, company officials said Friday. The Charlotte utility blamed the worsening recession.

Duke will freeze wages in 2009 for managers, supervisors and salaried workers in finance, information technology, human resources, engineering and other technical positions, according to the Charlotte Observer.
 
About 359,319 N.C. residents were unemployed last month, an all-time high. (People no longer looking for work aren’t counted among the unemployed.)

Since this time last year, N.C. unemployment has increased by 145,631 people.

Read the full report on the Employment Security Commission's website.
 

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