Winston-Salem leads Triad in job growth, Greensboro lags slightly behind

North Carolina’s job market is continuing to outpace much of the nation — and Winston-Salem is leading the way in the Triad.

New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows total employment in the Winston-Salem metro area rose nearly 2% over the past year. That’s about one and a half times faster than the statewide rate. Burlington wasn’t far behind, while Greensboro lagged slightly, growing less than half a percent.

Statewide, job growth appears to be driven in part by gains in the professional, scientific, and technical services sector. That field added more than 13,000 jobs year-over-year, making it one of the fastest-growing in the country.

But the outlook isn’t positive across the board. Furniture manufacturing in Greensboro and High Point dropped nearly 9% over the same period. The industry has now lost more than a third of its workforce since 2019.

Meanwhile, North Carolina’s federal workforce is also shrinking. Between January and April, the state lost about 300 federal jobs — a relatively small dip compared to neighboring Virginia, which shed more than 5,000. Nationwide, nearly 60,000 federal positions have been cut since the start of the Trump administration.

Still, North Carolina’s overall job market remains strong. In April alone, the state added more than 18,000 non-farm jobs — one of the biggest monthly gains in the country.