NC Budget & Tax Center launches new labor market data page ahead of Labor Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 28, 2025

RALEIGH — Every day, North Carolinians contribute their labor to keep our communities functioning and thriving. Yet too many workers still struggle to find fulfilling work, earn a living wage, and meet their basic needs. To shine a light on these challenges, this Labor Day weekend, the NC Budget & Tax Center (BTC) is launching its updated labor market data hub, Work, Wages, and Well-Being: Understanding North Carolina’s Labor Market.

The data hub will be updated at least twice a month with state and local labor market data releases.

Work, Wages, and Well-Being covers national, state, and local data because although national and state aggregates are important, they can mask dramatic differences on the ground. It’s only by diving into the details at all levels that we can fully understand how our economy is doing, make sound policy choices, as well as other important decisions.

“This new tool allows us to see the full picture of North Carolina’s economy,” said Alex Campbell, Public Policy Analyst with BTC. “We’re not just looking at whether jobs exist, but whether they provide dignity, security, and enough pay for people to thrive.”

While this resource tracks topline measures like the unemployment rate, it also examines deeper trends shaping the lives of workers and families. A full picture that does justice to the nuances, complexities, and chronic issues that we face requires a much more detailed analysis. Key findings from Work, Wages, and Well-Being reveals:

• Underemployment and unemployment
• Fewer jobs relative to the working age population
• Real wages failing to keep up with productivity growth
• Households struggling to make ends meet
• Pernicious and persistent racial, ethnic, and gender wage gaps
• Precarity for disaster survivors and federal government employees

Together, these findings reveal an economy that is not delivering for everyday North Carolinians.

BTC emphasizes that addressing these challenges begins with reliable and accessible data. Work, Wages, and Well-Being draws from Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, which remain vital despite recent political interference — including the firing of the agency’s head by the Trump administration.

“Now more than ever, we must track these economic outcomes and hold policymakers accountable,” said Logan Rockefeller Harris, Research Director with BTC. “Good data empowers people, communities, and decision-makers to push for policies that work for all of us.”

The NC Budget & Tax Center invites journalists, researchers, policymakers, and the public to explore Work, Wages, and Well-Being: Understanding North Carolina’s Labor Market at NCBudget.org/work.

For more information, please contact Alex Campbell, NC Budget & Tax Center Public Policy Analyst, at [email protected]; or Mel Umbarger, Director of Communications, at [email protected].