ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — For many workers throughout Western North Carolina, Hurricane Helene didn’t just flood roads and homes; it washed away their jobs. A new report examines how the storm impacted the region’s labor market.

A report from the North Carolina Department of Commerce details sudden job losses throughout the region, spiking unemployment in storm-affected counties.

The Department of Commerce report includes data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) for the second quarter following the storm, which provides a picture of Helene’s repercussions on the job industry and what recovery has occurred since.

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Data shows that before the storm, Western North Carolina accounted for nearly 14% of the state’s workforce, with approximately 667,000 of the state’s 4.9 million jobs. Buncombe County provided the most jobs, followed by Catawba and Gaston counties, the report says.

After Helene swept through the region on Sept. 27, 2024, the “total employment across all industries in Western North Carolina decreased by nearly 19,000 jobs, representing a 2.8% decline,” the report states.

Buncombe County took on the largest loss, with nearly 13,000 jobs gone, a 9.3% decrease, data shows. Avery County saw the sharpest percentage decline, with employment falling 13.5%, the report says. Mitchell County and Yancey County also experienced a substantial employment decline, at 6.5% and 11.4%, respectively.

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The leisure and hospitality employment sector was the most affected, with a decline of 15.6% of jobs, or approximately 14,000 positions, the data shows. Manufacturing experienced a 1.6% job loss, and the “Other Services” sector took on a 4.9% decline, per the report.

However, sectors such as trade, transportation, and utilities, as well as education and health services, all saw an increase in employment after Helene.

Despite a decline after the storm, the Department of Commerce report says job levels have shown signs of stability, although they have not fully returned to pre-hurricane levels.

Read the full report here.