Press Releases

The state’s seasonally adjusted January 2022 unemployment rate was 3.9 percent, decreasing 0.2 of a percentage point from December’s revised rate. The national rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point to 4.0 percent. North Carolina’s unemployment rate decreased 1.6 percentage points from a year ago. The number of people employed increased 25,124 over the month to 4,809,793 and increased 179,320 over the year. The number of people unemployed decreased 9,594 over the month to 197,469 and decreased 70,319 over the year.

Thirty-three North Carolina Main Street Champions will be recognized for their commitment to downtown revitalization and strong communities in 2021 during a virtual Recognition Ceremony on today at 9:00 a.m. Including this year’s group of honorees, 837 Main Street Champions have been recognized by the N.C. Department of Commerce since 2000.

Eight communities will receive awards for excellence in downtown revitalization during the North Carolina Main Street Awards Ceremony this evening. Secretary of Commerce Machelle Sanders, Assistant Secretary of Rural Development Kenny Flowers, and Director of the North Carolina Main Street and Rural Planning Center Liz Parham, will present the awards virtually in categories that include economic vitality, design, promotion, and organization.

North Carolina was awarded $6.4 million to establish a new tourism-focused economic recovery initiative. The new program, Supporting and Strengthening Resiliency in North Carolina’s Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Sectors Initiative, will help develop and implement economic-building strategies for the recovery of North Carolina’s travel and tourism industries that suffered economic losses due to the pandemic.

Sixty nine percent of businesses responding to an ongoing survey of North Carolina businesses report they either met or exceeded their revenue expectations in the month of January, according to preliminary results from the state’s Business Pulse Survey.  Looking ahead, forty six percent of businesses responding to the survey plan to raise wages in the next six months, with forty six percent also planning to increase their staffing levels.

The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has approved ten grant requests to local governments totaling $2,119,529, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The requests include commitments to create a total of 349 jobs, 289 of which were previously announced. The public investment in these projects will attract more than $30.8 million in private investment.

Nordfab, a manufacturer of ductwork used in environmental filtration systems will expand its existing operations in Thomasville with an investment of $5.5 million, Governor Roy Cooper announced today.  The decision creates 25 jobs in Davidson County to support the expansion of the company’s production facilities.

BestCo LLC, a leading manufacturer of innovative over-the-counter pharmaceutical, vitamin, and supplement products will significantly expand its facilities in Iredell County, creating 394 jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest $177 million to increase production capacity in Mooresville.

The state’s annual downtown revitalization conference, the North Carolina Main Street Conference, will convene virtually again March 8-10 due to COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.  Organized by the North Carolina Department of Commerce and its N.C. Main Street and Rural Planning Center, more than 700 economic development leaders attend this annual conference.  

Meritor, Inc. [NYSE: MTOR], a supplier of commercial vehicle solutions, will add 25 new jobs in Burke County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest more than $4 million to expand its trailer operation in the City of Morganton. “North Carolina has been intentional in our efforts to create a thriving manufacturing economy,” said Governor Cooper. “Companies like Meritor know they can rely on our extensive transportation network, affordability, and resilient workforce to execute their growth strategies.”