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RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina's unemployment rate stayed stuck in double-digit territory for the eighth straight month in September, with 10.8 percent of the state's ready and willing workers unable to find jobs, data released Friday said.

North Carolina's unemployment rate has been hovering around 11 percent since February and has been worse than the national average for more than a year, the monthly report by the state's Employment Security Commission said. August's jobless rate was also 10.8 percent.

September also marked an eighth consecutive month the unemployment rate topped the previous historic high. Before this year, the state's highest unemployment rate was 9.7 percent in March 1983, a level matched in January.

But there were hopeful signs in the state jobless report. Newly laid off workers filed 77,312 initial claims for unemployment insurance in September, almost 5,000 fewer than in August. More than half of those initial claims indicated that employees expect to be recalled to their jobs.

Economists closely watch initial claims, which are considered a measure of layoffs and the willingness of companies to add jobs.

September also saw 9,700 more people in the work force of 4 million, a number too small to change the unemployment rate but still a good sign.

"It looks like we are not decreasing as much as we were. If you're not going down that's a better situation to be in," said Stanley Black, an economist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "It's mildly encouraging."

North Carolina has lost about 250,000 jobs since the recession started in December 2007.

Trade, transportation and utilities companies lost the most jobs in September after the sector cut 6,500 positions. Government added 13,000 jobs during the month, with teaching and others in education leading the way back onto payrolls. Construction picked up about 2,200 workers.

Most economists believe the U.S. economy has started to rebound, but that increased business activity won't translate into many new jobs for months. Black said employment won't take off until consumers start spending again — a chicken-and-egg problem because today's worries about job security are likely to keep checkbooks closed until prospects improve.

Seasonally adjusted employment increased by 9,696 workers to 4,042,297. Unemployment increased by 2,857 workers to 491,766.

Since this time last year, unemployment has increased by 182,941 people. Employment is down by 219,834 workers since September 2008. The state rate in September 2008 was 6.8 percent.

Rates for each county in the state will be released Oct. 23.