Tagged: Economy

North Carolina's unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest level in four years, and South Carolina's unemployment rate has declined to the lowest point in five years. That's according to figures released Friday for the month of April.

As Charlotte grows, so too do surrounding towns and cities. Small farming communities or sleepy textile mill towns have transformed into independent, vibrant towns with their own identities - how did they get there? Many people work in Charlotte but live all over the metro area. What makes those towns and cities home? How do they maintain their own identities and preserve their histories without being absorbed as another outlying suburb of Charlotte? We'll look at the unique challenges towns face, their relationship with the city of Charlotte and the state and find out how they distinguish themselves. How do small towns like Belmont, Matthews and Huntersville creatively stimulate economic growth? We'll find out from the people responsible for their growth and success in a wide-ranging conversation about smart growth, development, town identity and more, when Charlotte Talks.

UNC Charlotte professor John Connaughton says that the North Carolina economy will grow modestly in 2013 after losing some traction in 2012. In his quarterly forecast for the state, Connaughton outlines how growth in the first half of the year will be slow as a result of several factors. Things like continued uncertainty in Europe, tax increases and spending cuts, and rising gasoline prices will affect how quickly our state’s economy gets off the ground. But North Carolina will prosper. He also says that although we avoided going over the fiscal cliff, we did not dodge tax increases or spending cuts. Economics can be a tricky thing to grasp, but Connaughton will help us understand it all, when Charlotte Talks.

Decision makers around our region want Charlotte to be a leader in global commerce, and many have reason to be encouraged at the progress we've made toward that goal. Trade routes around the world are evolving, including here in our city, in the form of a major intermodal facility at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. We'll talk about the changes Charlotte could benefit from in a world-wide shift in international trade and how the city's leaders are preparing it, all in advance of a summit at Central Piedmont Community College on the topic, when Charlotte Talks.