Press Releases

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.”

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in 98 of North Carolina’s counties in September 2023 and increased in two. Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 5.6 percent while Swain and Buncombe Counties each had the lowest at 2.5 percent. All 15 of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases. Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 4.5 percent while Asheville had the lowest at 2.7 percent. The not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 3.2 percent.

Toyota has announced plans to invest an additional $8 billion in its electric battery manufacturing site in Randolph County, including hiring another 3,000 employees. This historic announcement comes on the heels of Governor Cooper’s meeting with Toyota President Koji Sato during the SEUS/Japan Conference in Tokyo earlier this month. Toyota’s total investment in the Randolph County site will now total $13.9 billion and more than 5,000 jobs.

Epsilon Advanced Materials, Inc., a global provider of synthetic graphite used in electric vehicle batteries, will build its first manufacturing facility in the United States in Brunswick County, creating 500 jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The Indian-based company will invest $649.9 million at the Mid-Atlantic Rail Industrial Park.

The state’s seasonally adjusted September 2023 unemployment rate was 3.4 percent, an increase of 0.1 of a percentage point from August’s revised rate. The national rate remained unchanged at 3.8 percent.

The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has approved seven grant requests to local governments totaling $2,639,793, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The requests include commitments to create a total of 321 jobs, 191 of which were previously announced. The public investment in these projects will attract more than $53.7 million in private investment.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper continued to meet with business leaders in Tokyo and delivered remarks at the Southeast U.S./Japan Association (SEUS/Japan) meeting closing ceremony. The Governor was joined by NC Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders and Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina Chair Chris Chung.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced that a reentry partnership, an HVAC contractor, an auto repair shop and five individual North Carolinians have won NCWorks Awards of Distinction for outstanding accomplishments and contributions related to workforce development. The recipients were recognized on Thursday, Oct. 12, during a ceremony held in Greensboro as part of the 36th annual NCWorks Partnership Conference.