RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Businesses and jobseekers will learn whether North Carolina's unemployment rate remains on par with the rest of the country's sluggish economy.
The state Employment Security Commission on Friday announces October's unemployment rate.
September's jobless rate declined slightly to 9.6 percent, matching the national unemployment rate for the first time in 28 months.
North Carolina State University economist Michael Walden said September's falling rate can be explained by the number of jobless workers giving up and leaving the labor market.
The state jobs agency said there were 430,000 people listed as unemployed in North Carolina in September.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
