Press Releases

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.”

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.