Press Releases

After a historic year for job announcements and investments, North Carolina has been named the “State of the Year” for economic development by Business Facilities magazine.

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in 92 of North Carolina’s counties in November, increased in four, and remained unchanged in four. Edgecombe County had the highest unemployment rate at 7.3 percent while Buncombe and Orange Counties each had the lowest at 3.0 percent.

Today, North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Machelle Baker Sanders announced that M. Antwon Keith will serve as the acting Assistant Secretary for the Division of Employment Security (DES).

The North Carolina Department of Commerce awarded 30 Community Development Block Grant - Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG-NR) fund requests to 27 local governments totaling $42.3 million.

The state’s seasonally adjusted November 2022 unemployment rate was 3.9 percent, increasing 0.1 of a percentage point from October’s revised rate. The national rate remained unchanged at 3.7 percent.

Nelipak Corporation (d/b/a Nelipak Healthcare Packaging), a leading global healthcare packaging manufacturer, will initially invest at least $11.8 million to establish a flexible packaging production site in Winston-Salem, announced Governor Roy Cooper.

Governor Roy Cooper announced today that 42 local governments in rural areas across the state have been awarded grants from the Rural Transformation Grant Fund, supporting rural economic development projects in North Carolina.

Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), the global specialty chemicals company headquartered in Charlotte, will expand and create at least 200 jobs in Mecklenburg County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will establish an advanced materials research and development facility with a

Catalent, a leading global development and manufacturing partner to the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and consumer health industries, will create more than 200 new jobs in Durham County over the next five years, Governor Roy Cooper announced today.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce is now accepting applications from other state agencies and non-profit organizations for special grants designed to help small businesses train workers.