The Triad's jobless rate inched closer to the level that many economists traditionally consider as "full employment", which is defined as everyone who wants a job has a job. Experts disagree on what the figures mean.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports the rate dropped to 5.1 percent in December. The rate was 6.6 percent the previous December.
The new figures were released by the North Carolina Commerce Department Wednesday.
The Triad rate is at its lowest level since February 2008 – about six months before the region began to experience the first blows from the economic downturn.
Economists have been mixed on the importance of the jobless rate as a measuring stick for the “Carolina comeback” that Gov. Pat McCrory and Republican legislative leaders have touted since weekly unemployment insurance benefits were cut significantly in July 2013.
Supporters of reduced jobless benefits say the change has made people more willing to take available jobs. Others believe the state's slow recovery is being driven by national trends, and not by state policymakers.
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