News & Media

North Carolina Pursues 59K Jobs To State 2026

By Lauren Ohnesorge – Senior Reporter, Triangle Business Journal

As the calendar flips to a new year, North Carolina’s economic development pitch is in full swing.

For Christopher Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, the year started off with client visits, as executives from companies considering the state for relocations and expansions flew in for pitches.

“Folks aren’t really waiting long after the holidays,” Chung said. “This can always be a busy time of year, especially if people are already feeling behind the eight ball.”

Chung is optimistic that 2026 will mean continued success. His team started the year with 233 projects in the pipeline, representing the potential for 59,000 new jobs and $43 billion in investments.

Last year brought in several key wins for Charlotte, which secured blockbuster projects such as Scout Motors’ 1,200-job headquarters and Maersk North American, a headquarters relocation that could bring 500 jobs. Statewide, the Triangle region also fared well in 2025 with Aspida Financial’s 1,000-job announcement in Durham and Ralliant’s decision to locate its headquarters in Raleigh.

“We’re hoping, obviously, in 2026, that if the overall trend for office project continues, that even more of them will take a look at the Triangle, even the Triad,” Chung said.

Already this week, private jet firm flyExclusive (NYSE: FLYX) tapped Raleigh’s North Hills for its new headquarters.

Overall, office projects have slowed dramatically amid the pandemic push toward remote working. But projects are returning to the pipeline. 2025 was the best year for office project activity since before the pandemic, according to EDPNC.

The current EDPNC pipeline, broken down by sector:


  • Energy: 13%
  • Life sciences: 12%
  • Chemicals/plastics: 9%
  • 
Automotive: 7%
  • Computers/electronics: 7%
  • Food/beverage/agribusiness: 7%
Tom Barkin, CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, told Triangle Business Journal this week that the Trump administration’s policy on trade has manufacturers considering their domestic footprints, something that could be very good for economic development in 2026. “The other thing North Carolina has going for it is an influx of talent,” he said.

Chung said talent availability still tops the list for companies considering North Carolina. He called the state’s recent ranking by Site Selection Magazine as the “Top State for Workforce Development for 2026” a good “bragging point” as his team continues to negotiate with companies.

Read the full story here.