Press Releases

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in 50 of North Carolina’s counties in February, increased in 12, and remained unchanged in 38. Hyde County had the highest unemployment rate at 8.9 percent while Orange County had the lowest at 2.5 percent. Nine of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases, one increased, and five remained unchanged. Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 6.2 percent while Durham-Chapel Hill had the lowest at 2.9 percent. The February not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 3.7 percent.

Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE: M), the iconic American retailer, will invest more than $584 million to build its first automated fulfillment center in the Town of China Grove, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. Once fully operational, the company says it plans to employ 2,800 new jobs in Rowan County.

The NCWorks Commission, the state workforce development board, voted today to recommend that the regions currently served by 23 local workforce development boards be realigned to help support economic development activities and better meet the needs of employers seeking to fill jobs. Should local elected officials across the state choose to follow the Commission’s recommendation, any resulting requests for realignment of the current 23 local administrative areas could become effective in 2023, in a process that is governed by federal law.

VinFast, the Vietnamese auto manufacturer building a new line of electric vehicles, has selected North Carolina for its first North American automotive assembly and battery manufacturing plant, creating 7,500 jobs, Governor Roy Cooper and Vingroup Vice Chair and VinFast Global CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy announced today during an event at the new Raleigh Convention Center. The company intends to invest up to $2 billion in phase 1 of its project at the Triangle Innovation Point megasite in Chatham County.

The state’s seasonally adjusted February 2022 unemployment rate was 3.7 percent, decreasing 0.2 of a percentage point from January’s revised rate. The national rate decreased 0.2 of a percentage point to 3.8 percent. North Carolina’s unemployment rate decreased 1.7 percentage points from a year ago. The number of people employed increased 18,085 over the month to 4,827,774 and increased 183,269 over the year. The number of people unemployed decreased 10,157 over the month to 187,258 and decreased 75,556 over the year.

Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders are encouraging North Carolina employers to hire veterans and to apply for recognition with a HIRE Vets Medallion Award, an official program of the U.S. Department of Labor. The application period runs through April 30, 2022.

The Rural Transformation Grant Fund, a new source of support for rural economic development in North Carolina, is now accepting applications from local governments seeking to overcome challenges that limit their economic competitiveness.  The North Carolina Department of Commerce and its Rural Economic Development Division will administer the $48 million grant fund.

A new list of workforce credentials valued by industry and endorsed by a high-level state working group has been published on North Carolina’s career information portal, NCcareers.org. The centralized list will help both students and employees identify the higher priority credentials that employers use to screen workers for in-demand, high-wage careers.

Service Offsite Solutions (SOS), a supplier of offsite homebuilding solutions, will create 235 new jobs in a Lee County expansion, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest $11.8 million to build a new manufacturing facility in Sanford. “This expansion is another great economic development win for North Carolina,” said Governor Cooper. “Companies know our capable workforce, central location, and great quality of life are benefits to helping the homebuilding industry meet the high demand in North Carolina.”

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) increased in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties in January. Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 8.1 percent while Orange County had the lowest at 2.6 percent. All fifteen of the state’s metro areas experienced rate increases. Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 6.0 percent while Durham-Chapel Hill had the lowest at 3.0 percent. The January not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 3.8 percent.