Press Releases

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) increased in 84 of North Carolina’s counties in October 2023, decreased in five, and remained unchanged in 11. Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 5.9 percent while Swain County had the lowest at 2.6 percent. Fourteen of the state’s metro areas experienced rate increases and one remained unchanged. Among the metro areas, Fayetteville and Rocky Mount each had the highest rate at 4.5 percent while Asheville had the lowest at 2.8 percent. The not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 3.3 percent.

Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders of the North Carolina Department of Commerce sent a letter to the North Carolina Congressional delegation on Monday calling for deferment of the Internal Revenue Code Section 174's amortization requirement concerning research and experimentation expenditures.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce released the county tier designations for 2024 today. The designations, which are mandated by state law, play a role in several programs that assist in economic development.

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP), a lithium-ion battery pouch manufacturer, will create 352 new jobs in Davidson County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest $233 million to build its first U.S. advanced manufacturing facility in the City of Linwood.Governor Cooper met with DNP Executives on his economic development trip to Tokyo in October. The Governor discussed the growing clean energy sector in North Carolina and encouraged DNP to choose Davidson County.

The state’s seasonally adjusted October 2023 unemployment rate was 3.4 percent, unchanged from September’s revised rate. The national rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point to 3.9 percent.North Carolina’s unemployment rate decreased 0.5 of a percentage point from a year ago. The number of people employed increased 5,231 over the month to 5,093,141 and increased 132,990 over the year. The number of people unemployed increased 2,815 over the month to 179,425 and decreased 23,098 over the year.

Applications are now being accepted for a new round of grantmaking from the One North Carolina Small Business Program, a key source of capital for North Carolina’s emerging technology companies.“The One North Carolina Small Business Program provides critical support to some of our state’s most promising new companies,” said North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Machelle Baker Sanders. “Recent enhancements to the program open the door for even more tech entrepreneurs to grow their companies in North Carolina.”

Forge Nano, Inc., a leading materials science company that enables peak performance products through atomic-level surface engineering, intends to launch a new lithium-ion battery business, called Forge Battery, in Wake County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company and its investors plan for an initial investment of more than $165 million to build a lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in Morrisville bringing hundreds of high-paying clean energy jobs to the state. Forge Battery expects the facility to be operational in 2026.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper hosted a veterans roundtable discussion focused on supporting North Carolina’s veterans during the transition to civilian life and beyond. The Governor was joined at the NCWorks Career Center in Fayetteville by North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Machelle Baker Sanders and North Carolina Department of Military & Veterans Affairs Secretary Walter Gaskin along with several veterans and local business owners for the discussion.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper keynoted the annual Financial Times-Nikkei Investing in America Summit in Miami, Florida. The Governor spoke with Financial Times U.S. Managing Editor Peter Spiegel and highlighted North Carolina’s recent successes as a leader in the transition to a clean energy economy and being named CNBC’s Top State for Business for the second year in a row. The newly released 2023 Financial Times-Nikkei Rankings highlight Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro as top-20 locations for companies across the globe.

North Carolina will celebrate “Employ A Veteran Week,” November 6-10, with a variety of events that help connect veterans to jobs and other services, Governor Roy Cooper announced today.“As America’s most military and veteran-friendly state, we express our deep gratitude to those who have served our country in uniform, as well as their families,” Governor Cooper said. “We can honor our heroes by helping them get good paying jobs in growing industries that need their skills and dedication.”