Unemployment in the Asheville metropolitan area declined in September, from 8.4 to 8.1 percent. The local economy added about 800 jobs, with gains in the government sector and manufacturing offsetting losses in hospitality and trade.
According to the numbers, from the state Employment Security Commission, unemployment in Buncombe County also declined, dropping from 8.4 to 7.9 percent. August had seen rising unemployment throughout the county and metropolitan area, encompassing Buncombe, Haywood, Madison and Henderson counties, despite job gains, as people who
While the hospitality and leisure as well as the trade, transport and utilities sectors lost 800 jobs each, the local economy added 2,100 government and 500 manufacturing jobs, and gained overall, though still down 1,100 jobs for the year as a whole. The figures are not adjusted to account for seasonal shifts in employment.
