Gov. Roy Cooper's caution reopening approach has led the state to reopen slower than most other states. | Twitter
Gov. Roy Cooper's caution reopening approach has led the state to reopen slower than most other states. | Twitter
While many states have seen their unemployment rates drop as restrictions eased, North Carolina's rate remained 12.9% in May, which was the same it had been in April and 11.5% higher than the Southeastern average, the Carolina Journal reported in late June.
While Gov. Roy Cooper has been easing restrictions as he reopens the state, it has been at a slower pace than most other states, John Hood, who is the chairman of the John Locke Foundation, wrote in a Carolina Journal op/ed. It has, however, proved to have some helpfulness.
In April, the state's employment-to-population ratio was 49%, which went up to 50.4% in May as 67,000 net new jobs were added to the state, Carolina Journal reported. But the 67,000 jobs came after the state lost 616,000 jobs, which shows North Carolina is adding jobs back to its economy slower than neighboring states.
The state's slower reopening comes as Cooper remains cautions lifting restrictions, Hood wrote in the op/ed. The state has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases, but it may just be due to increased testing.
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