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11 <br /> Figure 3. Employment in North Carolina Regions as a Percentage of Employment in February <br /> 2020. <br /> RECOVERYDECLINE AND • VARIED WITHING NORTHCAROLINA <br /> TOTAL • OF • 020 <br /> 020 July 2021 APRIL 2020 JULY 2021 <br /> ASHEVILLE 82% 94% HICKORY <br /> ..• <br /> CHARLOTTEBURLINGTON 87% 99% JACKSONVILLE 88% 102% <br /> •0• <br /> DURHAM-CH 91% 99% RALEIGH 87% ... <br /> FAYETTEVILLE 89% .;. ROCKY MOUNT <br /> GREENSBORO-HPGOLDSBORO 92% 97% WILMINGTON 83% 98% <br /> • •:• <br /> GREENVILLE .0. <br /> NORTH •• ; .•. <br /> Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. <br /> The highest recovery rates in the state were Jacksonville (102%), Raleigh, Durham-Chapel Hill, <br /> Greenville, Burlington, and Hickory (all at 99%), and Charlotte, Fayetteville, Wilmington, and <br /> Winston-Salem (all at 98%). The lowest employment recovery rates were in Rural NC (93%) <br /> and Asheville (94%). <br /> SURPRISES IN THE LABOR MARKET <br /> After major deterioration during the Covid-19 recession, the labor market has bounced <br /> back,but not without questions. The graph on the left side of Figure 4 gives the unemployment <br /> rates in the nation and North Carolina since the beginning of the pandemic. Unemployment rates <br /> surged in April 2020,but have declined since then. North Carolina's jobless rate has generally <br /> been lower than the national rate. <br /> The graph on the right side of Figure 4 shows labor force participation rates (LFPR) in <br /> the nation and North Carolina since the start of the pandemic. The LFPR is the percentage of the <br /> civilian population 16 years and older who are either working or actively looking for work. <br /> There was an expected deep drop in the LFPR in both the nation and in North Carolina during <br /> the Covid-19 recession, then followed by a recovery. However, in both regions the increase in <br /> LFPR is still well below the pre-pandemic levels. The softness in LFPR is consistent with the <br /> difficulty many employers have experienced in hiring workers during the economic recovery. <br /> 5 <br />