Press Releases

On Wednesday and Thursday, Governor Cooper met with 14 companies in Switzerland as part of an economic development trip, including Syngenta, ABB and Novartis. He also met with the Director of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda.

Amrep Manufacturing Company, a producer of waste collection trucks, will expand its operations, adding 170 jobs and investing more than $21 million in Rowan County, Governor Cooper announced today.

J&L Machine and Fabrication, a steel fabrication and machining provider, will create 33 new jobs in Gaston County, Governor Cooper announced today. The company will invest more than $2.1 million to expand its production capacity in the Town of Stanley.

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties in April 2024. Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 5.8 percent while Greene, Buncombe, and Ashe Counties each had the lowest at 2.6 percent.

On Monday and Tuesday, Governor Cooper met with several companies in Germany, including Siemens AG, as part of an economic development trip.

Retailer, Ross Stores, Inc.  (“Ross”) will create 852 jobs in Randolph County, Governor Cooper announced today. The company will invest $450 million to build a Southeastern region distribution center in the City of Randleman.

Governor Roy Cooper announced today that the North Carolina tourism economy reached its highest level ever with travelers spending more than $35.6 billion on trips to and within the state. The previous record of $33.3 billion was set in 2022.

The state’s seasonally adjusted April 2024 unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, unchanged from March’s revised rate. The national rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point to 3.9 percent.

Nineteen rural communities from across the state have been selected to participate in the Commerce Department’s program to increase their capacity to plan, implement, and manage economic development programs and opportunities.

Today, leaders from the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services formally launched a collaborative process of developing a report to the North Carolina General Assembly on opportunities to provide workforce development services in conjun