RALEIGH — North Carolina’s unemployment rate increased to 11 percent in October, according to statistics released today by the N.C. Employment Security Commission. Non-farm payroll in North Carolina increased by 12,100. The rate increased for the first time since May.

“The numbers have been pretty steady since February,” said ESC Chairman Moses Carey Jr. “We’ve had ups and downs concerning the number of people employed and unemployed, but we haven’t experienced any significant changes. We are working as quickly as possible to implement the new extension of benefits for those individuals who have exhausted or are about to exhaust their benefits.”

Seasonally adjusted employment decreased by 5,643 workers to 4,035,471. Unemployment increased by 4,537 workers, to 496,279. Since this time last year, unemployment has increased by 174,184 people. Employment is down by 227,898 workers since October 2008. The state rate in October 2008 was 7 percent.

Seasonally adjusted, total non-farm industry employment, as gathered through the monthly establishment survey, increased by 12,100 jobs over the past month and has decreased by 185,800 since October 2008 — to 3,931,900. The largest over-the-month increase occurred in both Educational & Health Services and Government (+5,800). The largest decrease was in Construction (-6,600).