It is no surprise that the pandemic s effects are still being felt one year later, but what is shocking is that small business owners did not think they would be in the same predicament they were in last year when it comes to hiring and staffing potential employees.
By the end of 2018, the unemployment rate in Onslow County sat at an even 5%. As 2019 came to a close, the rate dropped to 3.9% where it hovered around that number for the first few months of 2020. Once the pandemic hit, that number skyrocketed to 12.9% for April and May, before gradually decreasing throughout the remainder of the year.