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Book in minutes at vaccassist.com. Sponsored by Pfizer. It's 5.05 and welcome in to a Friday edition of the Carolina Journal News Hour on Charlotte's FM News Talk 107.9 FM. WBT, I'm Nick Craig. Good morning to you.
North Carolina's manufacturing sector reported one of the largest yearly job losses of any major industry. Unemployment rates have declined across North Carolina, while overall employment increased in other sectors, according to some new data we're tracking this morning from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. The manufacturing job market fell by more than 7,200 jobs over the past year, which is a 1.6% decrease. The only other job sector to report losses was the information category, which was down 700 jobs.
However, several other industries like construction, healthcare, private education, and hospitality all recorded job gains during that same period of time. This points to continued growth in other parts of the state's economy. John Locke Foundation Senior Vice President of Research, Brian Balfour, stated that the reports that we are seeing of manufacturing job losses are unique, being that every other sector has reported growth. He stated in reference to the administration's, the Trump administration's tariffs, telling CarolinaJournal.com, as long as these tariffs are in place, net impacts will be negative in the manufacturing job sector. Manufacturing job losses came as North Carolina's labor field remains thin, with unemployment rates decreasing in 99 of 100 counties.
That is a remarkable number. As of December 2025, according to the Commerce Department's latest release, the statewide unemployment rate stands at 3.4%, with Edgecombe County having the highest unemployment rate at 5.4%.
However, Stanley County had the lowest at 2.6%. All 15 metro areas saw decreasing rates every month, a month over month in terms of employment. This includes Rocky Mount, which recorded the highest rate at 4.8%, while Raleigh has the lowest at 3.0%. Unemployment rates too are unemployment rates. Are far under 5%, which is considered full employment in the eyes of many economists.
A good balance between unattached workers and businesses seeking workers can create labor shortages. Statewide employment numbers have moved in positive directions, with the number of workers employed increasing steadily. The number increased by some 36,000 jobs in December to more than 5.1 million, while the number of unemployed workers fell at around 39,000, a little over 39,000 compared to December of 2024. That's when employment rose by just over 41,000 workers, while the number of unemployment, those unemployed, increased slightly over the year. The North Carolina Department of Commerce and their officials noted that employment data can change due to seasonal patterns and revisions, making these yearly changes more of an indicator of trends long-term rather than an exact snapshot.
Shot. The decline of manufacturing jobs, however, still stands out because it is being only one of two job sectors to report any sort of annual losses. On the state level, numbers reflected conditions throughout December of 2025 and showed North Carolina's economy before the start of the new year. Employment data nationwide released this week shows a broader representation of overall job growth and increasing wages across the nation, which of course North Carolina would take advantage of.
Some analysts with the North Carolina Department of Commerce's Labor and Economic Analysis Division also said that the job market changes can reflect multiple factors. These being things like consumer demand, investment seasons, interest rates, and economic uncertainty. With North Carolina's economy over the past decade changing with the growth in technology, healthcare, and the service industry, which is outpacing many in the manufacturing space.
However, it is important to note that manufacturing does remain a major part of North Carolina's economic foundation, especially in more rural North Carolina communities. Declines in those sectors can have a negative impact in areas where factories and facilities provide a significant portion of the jobs. And yes, you very well see that in some of those smaller counties, smaller rural counties in North Carolina. We've got some additional details on this, including the full press release from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. If you want to click in there and read about some various different sectors across the state, you can do that over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com.
The story's headline: North Carolina loses. 7,200 manufacturing jobs in 2025, says NC Commerce. In some other statewide news this morning, early voting continues across the state as we approach the very busy March the 3rd primary. In-person voting kicked off yesterday in North Carolina and will continue once again today at some 319 early voting sites across the state. That is actually a 6% increase from 301 sites that operated in May of 2022, the last mid-year primary election.
The increase also represents an increase of more than from 45,000 hours of early voting across the state to now more than 48,000 hours across the state for the March 2026 primary. Additionally, the total number of weekend early voting hours is now over 4,600, an increase of about 1.5%. State Auditor Dave Bollick said in a press release that separate reporting from independent researchers and news organizations shows that there will be more on-campus early voting sites this year compared to what we saw back in May of 2022. And if you're scratching your head and wondering why I'm saying May of 22 and not March of 22, you'll remember back that year there was some litigation, some lawsuits that actually delayed the primary that was scheduled to take place in March and bumped that all the way back to May. Dr.
Chris Cooper of Western North Carolina University said the 2026 primary will have one more college and university site than the 2022 primary. When counting community colleges, there will be 10 on-campus early voting sites this year compared to nine that existed in 2022. Cooper told that to the Raleigh News and Observer. There also has been some controversy with early voting on campuses. We've covered this over the last couple of weeks.
The College Democrats of North Carolina and Four individual students working with Democrat operative Mark Elias' law firm were seeking some judicial relief to have early voting sites added to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, North Carolina AT State University, and Western Carolina University. The group filed a lawsuit to have those sites added after the State Board of Elections adopted its plans back on January the 13th to not have early voting sites at those locations. A federal judge denied the College Democrats' request for an injunction that would mandate early voting sites on three North Carolina, those three North Carolina public university campuses. According to the judge at the time, an injunction, quote, would risk causing voter confusion according to that court order. Dr.
Andy Jackson, the director of the John Locke Foundation Civitas Center for Public Integrity, responded to the students' claims in a recent Carolina Journal column, saying, first, it is important. Important to note that despite reports of early voting sites being quote axed, North Carolina will have more sites for 2026 than they did in the last midterm primary in 2022. Jackson added, why close any site at all? Early voting sites cost county election boards money. While there is a disagreement about the exact amount, both Democrats and Republicans on the Jackson County Board of Elections agreed that they would save between $6,000 and $20,000 by operating four sites instead of five.
Operating four sites instead of five would also allow election officials to avoid spreading their staff too thin. The Jackson County Board members have also expressed concerns about access to the Western Carolina University site for voters that are not affiliated with the university. 17 counties across the state increased their number of early voting sites, total sites, from 2022 to 2026. Counties that increased those include Alamance, Birdie, Bladen, Buncombe, Forsyth, Guilford, Harnett, Hertford, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Orange, Pitt, Sampson Union, Wake, Wayne, and Wilson counties. With State Auditor Dave Bollock saying in a press release, North Carolina County Board of Elections and the State Board of Elections have expanded voter access for the 2026 primary election.
Keep voting accessible for all eligible voters while not budging on security and election integrity is a key to conducting secure and fair elections. I encourage everyone who is eligible to go out and cast a vote.
So the early voting period does continue. You can head on over to our website this morning, CarolinaJournal.com, or head on over to the State Board of Elections website and use the early voting search tool to figure out where your early voting locations are while you're there. It is also recommended that you take a look at what your sample ballot will look like so you can see how many individuals are running in each contest. And for those unaffiliated voters across the state, taking a look at both the Republican and Democrat sample ballot to determine what primary it is that you would like to vote in. Don't forget that you do, in fact, need a voter ID.
For most individuals, that is going to be a valid North Carolina driver's license.
However, there are other forms of ID, including a federal identification, military ID, and in some cases, some college and state identification cards that are allowed as well. The state board of elections has all those details, and early voting for many counties runs all the way through February the 28th, 3 p.m. is the close time. In all 100 counties, we will be keeping an eye on these totals over the next couple of weeks. Dr.
Andy Jackson from the John Locke Foundation and others will join us to walk us through what those trends and totals are looking like as we approach the March the 3rd primary. Let's go! You're still grooving, still connecting, still loving, still turning up, still thriving. You still got it, but your immune system, it weakens as you age. That's where vaccines come in.
They help train and strengthen your immune response to fight off respiratory illnesses like flu, pneumococcal pneumonia, RSV, or COVID-19. Ask your doctor or pharmacist which vaccines you need. Book in minutes at vaccassist.com. Sponsored by Pfizer. It's 5:21.
Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk, 107.9 FM, WBT. I'm Nick Craig. Good Friday morning to you. Earlier this week in Raleigh, state lawmakers put Charlotte and Mecklenburg County officials on blast over crime and public safety concerns across our state's largest city. There were some questions, however, leading into that committee hearing, how much lawmakers were going to be allowed to talk about the story that brought Charlotte so much national attention in late August of 2025, the horrific, the brutal murder of Irina Zarutska aboard the Charlotte Lightrail.
A protective order had been put in by a federal judge to attempt to limit some of the information that has been released publicly thus far. To walk us through where we stand on that this morning, there was an interesting update this week. Mitch Kokai from the John Locke Foundation joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour. Mitch, we've covered this story probably three or four times over the last few weeks leading up to this hearing that lawmakers played out Monday of this week. What's the latest that you're learning from the federal courts?
Well, you might remember, Nick, backing up a little bit, that this hearing involving state lawmakers and leaders of Charlotte's city government and local Charlotte and Mecklenburg County law enforcement. The hearing was supposed to take place in late January, but it got delayed because lawmakers were concerned about the potential limits on what they were going to be able to discuss because of a federal court order. They were saying, wait a minute, this federal court order says we're not allowed to release information that's in the criminal investigative file. We think that order may be invalid and unconstitutional. That's what the legislators were saying.
But they said, we're going to plan to go ahead and do the hearing anyway, talking about things that are already in the public record. And we'd like to have a chance to be heard about this protective court order. District Judge Kenneth Bell. before the hearing took place, put out a very short order saying, It looks as if the General Assembly's plans fit within what the earlier court order said about what could and couldn't be discussed. And I'm going to give these legislators a chance to share their concerns.
So the hearing took place. On a Monday, two days later, Judge Bell held a hearing in his courtroom in federal court to hear what the legislators' concerns were. And then later that day, he issued a very short order, just a couple of pages, that kind of spelled out some interesting things. One of which was that the judge said he was very respectful of what the General Assembly was trying to do and the proceedings that are happening in state court. But he also said the federal court has to protect the sanctity of its proceedings.
Remember, the Arena Zarutska killing has generated both state and federal charges for defendant DeCarlos Brown Jr. He faces a murder charge in state court, but also a case of a federal charge because of the killing taking place on the Charlotte Light Rail line, which gets federal funding.
So there's a federal charge that, if DeCarlos Brown is convicted, could lead to the death penalty. And so DeCarlos Brown had secured a protective order saying that elements of the criminal investigative file should. Not be turned over by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police to either legislators or to the media or to anyone else.
So Judge Bell issues his latest order, and basically it said, I respect what the General Assembly is doing. I respect the state court system. We have to protect what's going on in the federal court system. And it looks as if. The information that was covered by the order was never turned over to lawmakers.
That, even though some information was turned over by the DA's office and maybe the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police to legislators, none of it involved items that were covered by the protective order and that judges had said should not be released.
So he said that's moot, meaning the General Assembly. Didn't ever get the information, so I can't order them not to release anything they don't have. But then he said, once. Describing that that piece of the order is moot, the rest of the order remains in place.
So, CMPD or anyone else who has this information from the criminal investigative file or law enforcement recordings, body cam footage, 911 information, they can't turn those over to members of the media or anyone else who might try to get them.
So, it's kind of a footnote. on the the very interesting week that took place in terms of what the General Assembly had to say about Charlotte crime and public safety, and also what the federal courts are saying about what can be discussed publicly. And Mitch, I know you had some time to watch portions of that hearing. I watched it as well, and I was rather interested, and it was interesting to see rather, that state lawmakers really didn't press the issue all that much. Representative Brendan Jones, the leader of the House Oversight Committee, mentioned the murder of Irina in his opening comments.
But as the conversation with Mecklenburg County Sheriff Gary McFadden continued, which lasted nearly two hours just of him back and forth with lawmakers, the Irina story really wasn't a main portion of it. It was everything else that was wrong and all of the other issues that exist within the Sheriff's Department there in Mecklenburg County. Yes, and I guess that shouldn't surprise us because the general sense of that hearing was there's something going wrong in Charlotte, that something's happening with crime and public safety that needs to be fixed. I don't necessarily think that what happened with the Irita Zarutska stabbing really gets to the larger issue of what's happening generally with crime, what's happening with deaths in the jail, what's happening with the administration of the jail, because The problem with the Zarutska killing was really seemingly a cat's security problem in one sense, and also a problem with the judicial system letting a defendant out after he'd had 14 different encounters with law enforcement and with the judicial system.
So that major story. Only Partially aligned with what the General Assembly wanted to talk about with Charlotte crime.
Now, if there had been an issue about having uh sheriffs deputies or police On the cat's line, and they had an argument about well, you should have more of them on there. Then you might have heard more about the Zarutska killing. But much of what they wanted to discuss with Gary McFadden seemed to be on a much different page than if they had wanted to discuss the Zarutska killing as the driver of their meeting. Mitch, I think you've already answered this question, but I want to ask it again and make sure I get some clarification.
Some local media outlets in Charlotte, no surprise, have continued to try and get some of this body camera footage, as you mentioned, some of the 911 calls that presumably citizens riding the Charlotte light rail sitting next to or near arena would have called in.
So as we understand it right now, that stuff is not going to be released to the public, regardless of how hard these local media entities try and get this information out. Certainly, that's true at this point. And remember, that was a court order that happened long before we learned about the hearing. What had happened initially was there was a lawsuit involving WSOC television trying to get access to the footage. A state court judge would have allowed that to happen, but then DeCarlos Brown Jr.
went to federal court and said, wait a minute, this could jeopardize my defense in this case. And not only did DeCarlos Brown Jr. ask for a protective order, but then the U.S. attorney who's prosecuting Brown on the federal charge also went to the federal court and said, yes, that's right. We should not allow this information to be released.
And the U.S. Attorney has also been on board when DeCarlos Brown Jr. tried to get an order blocking the General Assembly from releasing anything that might have been in the criminal investigative file.
So it doesn't seem to be that there is a major difference of opinion from the two opposite sides in the federal court case about what should happen, both of them agreeing, both the defendant And the prosecutor from the U.S. Attorney's Office saying this information should not be released to the public because it could taint the criminal case in the federal trial. And that applied to all of the body cam footage, the 911 calls, but also anything that was part of the criminal investigative file. In fact, when the later order came out in mid-January, basically the magistrate judge who had initiated the first order said, I've already ordered that some stuff can't be released. To the extent there's anything else in the criminal investigative file that wasn't already covered in my earlier order, I'm going to cover it now.
And District Judge Kenneth Bell basically confirmed that, with the exception, as we've mentioned earlier, of saying that the piece that related to legislative leaders is now moot because they never got any of the information that was covered in the order in the first place. As Mitch already mentioned, there are two different legal cases that we are going to continue to follow here: a murder charge taking place in state court and on the federal side, which is what we've been talking about this morning. Essentially, terrorism on mass transportation, mass acts of violence on mass transportation, which goes back more than 100 years since that federal law has been on the books. We'll keep a close eye on both of those details over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com. We appreciate the update this morning.
Mitch Kokai from the John Locke Foundation joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour. Oh. You're still grooving, still connecting, still loving, still turning up, still thriving. You still got it. But your immune system, it weakens as you age.
That's where vaccines come in. They help train and strengthen your immune response to fight off respiratory illnesses like flu, pneumococcal pneumonia, RSV, or COVID-19. Ask your doctor or pharmacist which vaccines you need. Book in minutes at vaxassist.com. Sponsored by Pfizer.
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Granger for the ones who get it done. It's 5:37. Good Friday morning to you. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk, 107.9 FM, WBT. Domestic security is a major topic of discussion in Washington, D.C.
during the second Trump administration. We've got some information this morning on some new legislation working its way through Congress, the Critical Mineral Dominance Act. To walk us through some of the details on that this morning, it's my pleasure to welcome Congressman Brad Knott. He, the Republican out of North Carolina's 13th congressional district. Mr.
Congressman, thanks for joining me. Tell us, our audience here this morning, why this legislation is relevant and why we should care about it here in North Carolina. Absolutely, and thank you for having me. It's an important topic. It's one that A lot of people have heard sort of the basic parameters and the buzzwords, you know, rare earth, minerals, critical materials.
you know critical minerals what what the you know supply chain why is all this important and and the essential thesis is that our modern world will be one that fuses technology with everyday life in ways that many of us can't really comprehend at this point. But if we fall behind, whether it's with AI, whether it's with securing the computing power we need to have, whether it's securing these materials that go into the machines and the processing power. then we will be at the mercy of whoever controls these procurements. And right now We have one potential or excuse me, one formative foe, really, and that's China. And China is not one of our friendliest Neighbors around the world, they by just about every metric are an adversary.
They do not have our best interests. In their heart. And so we have to be proactive in securing not just supplies. dom domestically and abroad, but the ability to to uh extract them and to process them and then to manufacture them here in the United States. And that's what this legislation is aimed at.
And I believe that the final title, Nick, just so you can have it, it's been amended to Securing America's Critical Minerals Supply Act. That sounds a little bit more polished, I guess, but it's a top-to-bottom review, and it streamlines the first chapter. of procuring and utilizing these important materials.
Well, Congressman, not many listening to the program this morning, they may even be listening on a smartphone app or via a podcast app. The only way that that is possible, the phones that we're carrying around in all of our pockets, is in large part due to some of these rare minerals that, as you already highlighted, are coming from relatively adversarial nations like China. I would think if you and I walked around the street and asked people, hey, could you live without your smartphone? They'd say no, yet we're relying on a foreign nation for it. That's right.
That's right. And obviously everyone knows how important our ability to manufacture defensive capabilities is and sometimes offensive capabilities. And whether you're talking about F-35 fighter jets, laser guidance systems, radar capacities. missile detections, whatever it may be, we are very dependent on these materials. But then you go into everyday civilian life, whether we're talking about stoplights, cell phones, drone use, first responder tools.
They are very dependent on these materials as well. Modern life going forward in the next 100 years will be dependent on whoever controls these materials. And China has been unbelievably aggressive. And trying to secure monopolies around the world, not just within their own borders, but around the world. I was meeting with a drone manufacturer.
Two is uh She's a very proficient North Carolina. business and enterprise, they do civilian use, they do military use, they do law enforcement use. And even with the robust help of the Trump administration, trying to bring some of these processes back to the United States. A supplier to our military, this drone company said we still have to utilize Chinese parts. because we are so far behind on these critical elements.
and bringing them into the United States.
So it's a vital, vital process. It's important for our future. It's important for our present. And this bill goes a long way in helping us achieve what we need to do. I'm glad you brought it back here to North Carolina.
Business is booming across the Tar Hills State. It seems like every week that goes by, Congressman, not some different magazine or survey group is rating North Carolina the number one state for this, the number one state for that. A lot of that technology, a lot of that growth is in the technology sector. We've got an aerospace company that's opening up its first headquarters in North Carolina. A lot of very cool technology, but as you're highlighting, all of that is reliant, unfortunately, on foreign material.
That's exactly right. And there's a more nefarious component here that we are trying to override. And In many ways, the United States has made itself way too accessible. to our foreign adversaries. And when you look at the previous administration and the vast open access that our adversaries were granted to the United States in the form of open borders, essentially, why wouldn't they come into the United States and work to harm us, work to slow us down, work to make it more difficult to achieve what we need to achieve to secure our dominant role in the world.
And that's exactly what they've done. I mean, a tactic that not many people are aware of. The Chinese Communist Party, in many respects, backs the green movement. around the United States. And I'm not talking about Those who are engaged in civil debate and people who want to steward the environment.
I'm talking about the militant left environmental lobby. that will sue you if you so much as break ground on a residential homing, you know, home building project. A lot of the think tanks, a lot of the law firms, a lot of the aggressive actors that want to disrupt any type of economic activity. They're backed by our adversaries. And it's very nefarious.
And again, if we can't get past the fear of disturbing the ground. We're going to be set back in a monumental way, and that's not what we're about right now. I'm so glad you brought that up because I think there's a common misconception that the United States, our continental U.S., does not have any of these rare earth minerals. They have to be mined overseas. They have to be mined in places like China.
But Congressman Knott, as you're aware, that's just not the case. It's so much regulation, whether it's the EPA or states like California and Wyoming, where a lot of these materials are deposited that just don't allow any of this progress to happen. That's exactly right. Look in the energy space, right? I mean, we have the technology, we have the ability, we have uh world leading engineers in terms of building and constructing nuclear power plants.
Nuclear power plants are going to be required by an order of magnitude to maintain the baseload demands of our society going forward. you would think that the far left would be robust in their enthusiasm for nuclear power. You can have tremendous amounts of generation with zero carbon. But what happens as soon as there's a plan announced for a new nuclear plant? It is flooded.
with lawsuits from environmental groups. Again, it just demonstrates The general hostility that a lot of these far left groups have for American progress. And again, probably not all of them, but a good chunk of them are funded by groups who are hostile towards the United States. And when you talk a step further, not just building plants, but extracting minerals that are required for Energy generation, for industry, for sort of a 21st century economy and beyond. Again, the EPA has been weaponized to stop any disturbance.
Of various pieces of property and real estate around the United States. And one good example. Right here in North Carolina, there is some of the largest lithium deposits in the country. And What we're trying to do is enable a very efficient and effective extraction mechanism. relying on the fact that lithium is one of those critical elements that goes in everything from EVs to modern equipment on the battlefield.
We should be pulling that out of the ground now. We should be using that to bolster our own economy. We shouldn't be enriching our adversaries. And there is a way to do it. There's a way to do it responsibly, ethically, so that local communities can buy in, local communities can prosper, and that the country will ultimately be more successful.
And that's what we're hoping to achieve here. Congressman Knott, back to Washington, D.C. Is this bipartisan legislation? Is this something that the Democrats are fighting the Republican majority on? Where do we stand across party lines with this issue?
You know, unfortunately, everything seems to be partisan right now. I think that there's a real effort to posture before we head to midterms. And the Democrats are not incentivized to help us with anything. I'm sure you've seen that. materialize in recent weeks, but my hope is that we can recognize the need.
we can recognize the solution and that we can move forward. together. paramount that we do it. And everything seems to be squeaking by by just the slightest margin in the House, and then it gets stalled in the Senate.
So we'll see what happens. The Senate will have to deal with it. when they come back into session next week or the following week. And again, Every House member that I know will be leveraging our platforms to pressure them to get it passed.
So we'll see what happens. Yeah, well, of course, keep an eye on that progress. Congressman Knight, you have a great newsletter that you and your office puts out on a pretty regular basis. Where can folks go and sign up for that this morning? Excellent.
Well, I you know, we we have Links to every social media platform. Whether it's X, Facebook, Instagram, Rumble, YouTube. We've got a footprint pretty squared away there. The best way to do it is just rep not, R-E-P-K-N-O-T-T. They can go to our official website, and our newsletter is pretty accessible.
And you can sign up, just put your email address in, and you will get. Whenever we send one out, it'll hit your mailbox. I always tell people who are listening, whenever you're in Washington, please reach out to our office. We'd love to entertain. We'd love to have you come by.
I would love to meet you if the schedule allows. And of course, whether it's a Capitol tour or a White House tour. We'd love to do our part to help you whenever you're in town. Congressman Knott, we appreciate all of the very insightful information this morning. Thanks for joining us on the Carolina Journal News Hour.
Thank you for having me. You're still grooving, still connecting, still loving, still turning up, still thriving. You still got it, but your immune system, it weakens as you age. That's where vaccines come in. They help train and strengthen your immune response to fight off respiratory illnesses like flu, pneumococcal pneumonia, RSV, or COVID-19.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist which vaccines you need. Book in minutes at vaccassist.com. Sponsored by Pfizer. Yeah. It's 5:53.
Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk 107.9 FM, WBT. Let me quickly tell you about the John Locke Foundation's Carolina Liberty Conference. It's coming up here in just a couple of weeks, February the 27th and 28th, at the Stateview Hotel in Raleigh. Our 2026 Liberty Conference brings together policymakers, scholars, community leaders, and citizens from across the state to explore the challenges and opportunities of advancing freedom in today's political and cultural climate. The 2026 Carolina Liberty Conference is happening February the 27th and 28th, and this year we'll be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
We've got great guest speakers like Lord Daniel Hannon, Chief Justice Paul Newby, he's the head of the North Carolina Supreme Court, State Auditor Dave Bullock, and many, many more. Register today for your tickets for the 2026 Carolina Liberty Conference at johnloc.org. That's John Locke. Johnlock.org, J-O-H-N-L-O-C-K-E dot org. Recapping some statewide news this morning, while the state of North Carolina continues to be seen at the top of many lists as it relates to number one for business, number one for growth, number one for economic growth.
There is one sector that is struggling, according to new information out this morning from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, as North Carolina's manufacturing sector reported one of the largest yearly job losses of any major industry. The manufacturing job market fell by 7,200 jobs over the past year, December of 24 to December of 25, which is a decrease of about 1.5%. The only other job sector to report losses with this new data was jobs that fall under the information category, which were down about 700 jobs.
However, several other industries like construction, healthcare, private education, hospitality, and many others recorded job gains during the same period of time. Time, continuing to build the case of strong economic growth in North Carolina. The John Locke Foundation Senior Vice President of Research, Brian Balfour, told CarolinaJournal.com: reports that we are seeing of manufacturing job losses are unique, being that every other sector has reported growth.
However, he pointed the finger at the Trump administration and specifically their tariff policy, saying, as long as these tariffs are in place, the net impact will be negative in the manufacturing job sector. Manufacturing job losses came as North Carolina's labor field remains relatively thin, with the unemployment rate decreasing in 99 out of 100 counties, which is a good thing, meaning more and more individuals are in the workforce as of 2025. Statewide employment numbers have continued to move in a positive direction, with the number of workers employed increasing year over year. The number increased by 60. by 36,000 individuals in December of 2025 to more than 5.1 million total employed across the state of North Carolina.
So some very good numbers there as well. Manufacturing, however, does remain a major part of North Carolina's economic foundation, and this is incredibly relevant in more rural communities across the state of North Carolina. Declines in those sectors can have a negative impact in areas where some of those facilities, those factories, can provide a significant portion of the jobs. In some cases, they can be the largest employer in many towns, small towns across North Carolina. And when there are mass layoffs, it has an absolutely huge effect on that local economy.
You can read some additional details on this. Plus, check out the entire report from the North Carolina Department of Commerce over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com. That's going to do it for a Friday edition. WBT News is next. Followed by Good Morning BT.
We're back with you Monday morning, 5 to 6, right here on Charlotte's FM News Talk, 107.9 FM, WBT. You're still grooving, still connecting, still loving, still turning up, still thriving. You still got it, but your immune system, it weakens as you age. That's where vaccines come in. They help train and strengthen your immune response to fight off respiratory illnesses like flu, pneumococcal pneumonia, RSV, or COVID-19.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist which vaccines you need. Book in minutes at vaxassist.com. Sponsored by Pfizer. Mm-hmm.
