Fighting for More Jobs

Like the rest of the nation, North Carolina’s economy is hurting.  Far too many people are out of work and families are struggling to get by.

Bev Perdue’s very top priority as governor is to do all she can to help create more jobs in North Carolina.  And she will not stop working at it until every North Carolinian who wants a job can get one.

Under Perdue’s leadership, North Carolina continues to be one the best places in the nation to locate or expand a business.   North Carolina is currently ranked among the top three best states for business climate by Chief Executive Magazine, Site Selection Magazine and Forbes.

Perdue has been tireless in marketing North Carolina’s virtues and fighting for private sector jobs.  Since she entered office, over 1000 companies have committed to bringing or creating more than 80,000 new jobs in North Carolina.  All together, in the first three years of her administration, these companies have committed to investing more than $16 billion dollars in our state. 

As a result, month-by-month private sector employment in North Carolina has been improving.  Although the overall unemployment rate has climbed (driven in significant part by layoffs of teachers and other education employees caused by the legislature’s 2011-12 education budget cuts), the number of private sector jobs in North Carolina has increased by more than 26,200 so far this year.

In early 2011, Perdue proposed cutting North Carolina’s corporate income tax rate as a way of stimulating job creation and business activity.  However, the Republican-controlled legislature refused to go along with Perdue’s plan.   Instead, the legislature, with Pat McCrory’s encouragement, chose the far more costly idea of eliminating the temporary one-cent sales tax. 

That decision not only has been much less effective in stimulating job growth than Perdue’s proposal; it has also hampered the state’s economic competitiveness by unnecessarily inflicting deep budget cuts on public education at all levels.

In addition to aggressively reaching out and working with business leaders in North Carolina and across the nation, here are just a few of the things Governor Perdue is doing to help create more good jobs for North Carolinians:

• Mobility Fund.  As part of the 2010 State Budget, Gov. Perdue established the North Carolina Mobility Fund that will be used to address critical congestion bottlenecks and to improve our logistics capabilities.  The Fund would not impact the current equity formula and would be linked to statewide economic goals.  The first scheduled project is the completion of the I-85 north section of the Yadkin River Bridge.  Future funds will be available for all state transportation modes including roads, aviation, ports, transit and rail.
• Expanding access to broadband.  Gov. Perdue has been at the forefront of the campaign to bring resources to North Carolina to expand our broadband network.  Personally lobbying Congress, Gov. Perdue played an integral part in North Carolina receiving over $250 million in broadband recovery funding.  These funds are critical for expanding the reach of high-speed internet in underserved areas, which will help communities create jobs and improve the local quality of life.
• Retraining workers to get back to work quickly.  In 2009, Gov. Bev Perdue launched “12 in 6”, a workforce development initiative designed to benefit North Carolinians who have lost their jobs due to recent layoffs and plant closures.  The initiative created community college programs in 12 hot careers, each requiring six months or less to complete.  To date, more than 14,200 students have enrolled, more than 7,600 students have completed courses and more than 5,300 career readiness certificates have been issued. 
• Charlotte Area Workforce Recovery.  Gov. Perdue initiated a series of steps focused on providing resources and funding to make it easier for unemployed workers to find new employment in the Charlotte area.  That area is unique in that large numbers of white collar workers are unemployed due to the struggling financial industry.
• NC Passport to Export.  In 2011, as a result of Gov. Perdue’s work with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Department of Commerce received a $603,442 State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) grant that will be used for a new export initiative called NC Passport to Export.  The program will leverage the resources of local, state and federal partners to assist small and medium size North Carolina companies to increase their exports.  These companies will have access to new market research, receive additional export education, access global trade shows and new foreign markets, and receive assistance with global branding opportunities.
• Small Business Commissioner.  The appointment of a single statewide commissioner in 2010 addressed a long-standing criticism that state small business services are fragmented among different agencies, creating challenges for small businesses to access them. One of the new commissioner's first priorities was to evaluate the small business services provided through state government, identify efficiencies, and then lead an aggressive outreach campaign to let North Carolina small businesses know where to go when they need help.
• Contracting advantage for North Carolina Businesses.  By signing Executive Order No. 50 in 2010, Gov. Perdue gave North Carolina-based businesses a price-matching opportunity when bidding on state contracts for the purchase of goods. If a North Carolina-based business is not the low bidder on a state contract but submitted a bid within a specified range of the low bid from an out-of-state company, the North Carolina business will receive the opportunity to match the out-of-state bidder's price and secure the contract.  As of September 2011, Perdue’s NC Business Preference program has kept $10.7 million in tax dollars in-state for North Carolina businesses.
• JobsNOW Small Business Package.  In the 2010 State Budget, Gov. Perdue’s small business package included $34 million in tax relief for small business, as well as funds to promote tourism, support small family farms, create green business jobs, and strengthen North Carolina’s efforts in the biotech, ag-biotech, and biofuels industries.  Small businesses account for two-thirds of new jobs created.  Any jobs program must have small business assistance at the core.
• Main Street Solutions.  Downtowns are the economic heart of a community.    Gov. Perdue has expanded the Main Street program to help revitalize small town “Main Street” districts across North Carolina.  In 2010, eight communities received a total of $1.95 million that will create or retain a minimum of 233 permanent jobs and an additional 195 construction jobs.
• Green Energy Plan.  Gov. Perdue’s Green Energy Plan will attract businesses, create jobs and promote a strong and sustainable green economy in North Carolina. The plan refocuses state energy policymaking, makes strategic investments in North Carolina's green economy and increases green-collar workforce development.  The plan includes Gov. Perdue’s Green Business Fund that awards competitive grants to North Carolina businesses and organizations with innovative projects in biofuels, green construction, environmentally friendly technology and renewable energy products.