Press Releases

Today Governor Josh Stein joined North Carolina Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley and local partners to unveil the state’s 2026 schedule of premier events supported by the Major Events, Games, and Attractions Fund. The lineup features crowd-pleasers that create jobs, support local businesses, boost tourism, and reinforce the reasons North Carolina consistently ranks as a top state for business, workforce development, and travel.

The state’s seasonally adjusted December 2025 unemployment rate was 3.9 percent, unchanged from November’s revised rate. The national rate decreased 0.1 of a percentage point to 4.4 percent.North Carolina’s unemployment rate increased 0.2 of a percentage point from a year ago. The number of people employed increased 9,802 over the month to 5,104,078 and increased 14,611 over the year. The number of people unemployed increased 683 over the month to 204,751 and increased 8,543 over the year.

Today Governor Stein visited Bethel to discuss a new grant awarded to the Pitt County town to support sustainable housing reconstruction. Bethel was one of four towns – including Elm City, La Grange, and Nashville – to receive $950,000 in Community Development Block Grants to improve housing and public spaces, helping families build stability and supporting long-term economic growth.

Today, Renew NC, North Carolina’s disaster recovery program, is reminding homeowners in western North Carolina that the deadline to apply for housing recovery assistance through the Single-Family Housing Program is fast approaching. Applications must be submitted to Renew NC by January 31 and can be completed online, in person, or over the phone.

North Carolina residents who received unemployment benefits in 2025 can now view or download their 1099-G tax form online through their secure MyNCUIBenefits account at the N.C. Division of Employment Security (DES) website. Paper copies will be mailed to those who requested one starting tomorrow and running through January 31, with delivery expected to all recipients by early February.

North Carolina's award-winning career development platform, NCcareers.org, has served one million North Carolinians, marking a 95% increase over the last 12 months and solidifying the platform's role as North Carolina's central hub for career exploration and planning. The free, comprehensive career development platform generated 6.6 million pageviews and 970,000 users in 2025 as students, job seekers, educators, and workforce professionals across the state turned to it for data-driven career guidance.

When compared to the same month last year, unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) increased in 89 counties in November 2025, decreased in eight, and remained unchanged in three. Fourteen metro areas experienced rate increases over the year and one decreased. October 2025 data are unavailable due to the lapse in appropriations.

View the Task Force’s 2025 Year-End Report HereToday Governor Josh Stein announced the release of the North Carolina Task Force on Child Care and Early Education’s 2025 year-end report. Led by bipartisan co-chairs Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt and Senator Jim Burgin (NC-12), the Task Force has developed six recommendations to make child care accessible and affordable across North Carolina and has identified opportunities to implement the recommendations.

Today Governor Josh Stein announced Johnson & Johnson, the world-leading health care company, will expand its presence in North Carolina.  The company says it will make an additional multibillion dollar investment in the City of Wilson. According to the company, the project is estimated to create up to 500 new jobs at a state-of-the-art drug product manufacturing facility that will help deliver transformational medicines for oncology and neurological diseases.

Throughout 2025, the North Carolina Department of Commerce has played a central role in supporting western North Carolina’s recovery after Hurricane Helene, including delivering housing assistance, workforce support, and economic recovery resources to help communities stabilize and rebuild. Through coordinated efforts across multiple Commerce divisions, the state has assisted thousands of families, workers, and small businesses while laying the foundation for long-term resilience and economic strength.