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Want to know just how bad the job losses are?

Or how China helped our recession along?

How about the way that layoffs played out in the state?

Today the UNC School of Government posted several documents online that speak to those, and in somewhat plain terms. These are professors, so there is a point of entry that's required, but it's not textbook-dense stuff. And each is a pdf of roughly 10 pages or less.

Here's the conclusion of one paper:

The North Carolina economy has been deeply affected by a worldwide recession that resulted from the largest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Despite the historic nature of this crisis, there is strong evidence that the financial sector is healing and the job market in North Carolina is nearing recovery. Layoff s in North Carolina appear to be moderating, new home sales are starting to creep up, and there is some reason to believe that North Carolina will start creating jobs by the end of 2009.

This is fun for those types who are into economic development, particularly. Enjoy!