Press Releases

The Government Performance Lab (GPL) at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University announced today that North Carolina will benefit from the assistance of a government performance expert, at no cost to taxpayers. This new collaboration between the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Harvard Kennedy School marks the first time that the state has been awarded technical assistance by the GPL.  North Carolina was one of six jurisdictions selected to receive pro bono technical assistance. 

North Carolina has received Area Development magazine’s 2018 Gold Shovel Award, recognizing the state’s success in winning high-impact economic development projects last year. In 2017, North Carolina experienced one of its best years for new job recruitment in over a decade. The state is one of only five receiving a 2018 Gold Shovel Award. Area Development magazine, which covers site selection and facility planning, considers a state’s top 10 job creation and investment projects when granting the award.

The North Carolina Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NC Neighborhood) has awarded a total of $7.5 million in grants to 10 localities. The program provides federal funds from the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) to communities to help address economic and community development needs, primarily for the benefit of low- and moderate- income residents.

With Governor Roy Cooper in attendance, the NCWorks Commission met on May 23 to approve new Career Pathways, certify Career Centers and celebrate local innovations in workforce development. The group held its quarterly meeting at Moretz Mills in Hickory, marking the first time the Commission has met in western North Carolina.

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased all 100 of North Carolina’s counties in April.  Hyde County had the highest unemployment rate at 7.9 percent, while Buncombe County had the lowest at 2.8 percent.  All 15 of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases.  Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount at 5.8 percent had the highest rate and Asheville had the lowest rate at 3.0 percent.  The April not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 3.7 percent. .    

AveXis, Inc., a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing treatments for rare and life-threatening neurological diseases, will locate a new manufacturing center in Durham County creating 200 jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company is expected to invest approximately $55 million in the facility to produce potentially breakthrough therapies to address rare neurological genetic diseases.

The Unites States Treasury certified 252 areas in the state as official North Carolina Opportunity Zones on May 18, potentially opening a new source of investment capital for regions of the state that need it the most.  In April, the state recommended all of these areas for federal consideration and with last Friday’s decision, Treasury officially declares these low-income census tracts can participate in the investment program.

The state’s seasonally adjusted April unemployment rate was 4.4 percent, decreasing 0.1 of a percentage point from March’s revised rate.  The national rate decreased 0.2 of a percentage point to 3.9 percent. North Carolina’s April 2018 unemployment rate decreased 0.2 of a percentage point from a year ago.  The number of people employed increased 6,958 over the month to 4,762,284 and increased 64,768 over the year. The number of people unemployed decreased 2,958 over the month to 219,559 and decreased 5,169 over the year.   

Amada North America, Inc., a manufacturer of precision sheet metal fabricating equipment, will develop a new product line in Guilford County creating 201 new jobs over the next five years, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. Amada will invest $87 million in a facility in High Point that will manufacture and assemble a line of high-precision press break bending equipment for the U.S. market.

Raleigh, N.C. - Ahead of the release of his short session budget, Governor Roy Cooper today shared recommendations to create the NC Job Ready Fund to train and grow North Carolina’s workforce to fill the jobs of today and tomorrow. In February, Gov. Cooper laid out his key principles for improving North Carolina’s workforce: providing education and skills training, partnering with employers to prepare workers for evolving industries, and tapping into local innovation.