North Carolina is expected to add over 262,700 jobs between 2024 and 2034, according to an April 10 announcement. The state’s job market is projected to grow slightly faster than the national average, with most of the new positions concentrated in service industries.
The outlook highlights a shift in where job opportunities will be found and what types of roles are growing. Nearly all job growth—about 91 percent—is anticipated to come from service sectors, particularly health care and social assistance. This industry alone is projected to add nearly 79,000 jobs during the period.
Manufacturing employment is forecasted to remain flat while agriculture-related positions are expected to decline slightly. Fastest-growing occupations include healthcare support roles such as aides and assistants, healthcare practitioners like nurses and physicians, as well as computer and mathematical occupations including software developers and data analysts.
Despite the creation of new jobs, most annual openings—more than 599,000 per year—will result from workers leaving their current roles or changing occupations rather than from newly created positions. This means that opportunities will continue even in fields without overall employment growth.
Higher-paying fields such as management, technology, and business are expected to see faster growth rates; however, lower-wage jobs will still dominate total openings due mainly to high turnover rates in those areas. Key industries driving job expansion include health care (due in part to an aging population), professional and technical services (such as IT), hospitality and food services, along with finance and insurance sectors.
The projections take into account technological advancements like artificial intelligence (AI). These changes are reflected gradually within long-term forecasts rather than causing sudden shifts in employment patterns. For both workers and employers this means there will be ongoing demand for high-skill positions while many entry-level opportunities remain available for those without a college degree.
