Toyota, Apple and .... Here are the 10 biggest job announcements in NC this year

Emerging from the uncertainty of 2020, the past year has been a strong one for job expansions across North Carolina, culminating recently in the state landing a new battery manufacturing plant from Toyota — a project that will end up being the largest capital investment in state history.

The largest jobs announcements from the year vary both in geography and industry. However, it was an especially good year for the Triangle’s twin engines of Raleigh and Durham, both of which landed numerous technology and life sciences expansions.

Here are the 10 largest job expansion announcements in the state in 2021:

1. Apple (3,000 jobs)

North Carolina had been trying to lure the world’s largest technology company, Apple, for nearly four years before it finally was able to land a promised 3,000-job East Coast headquarters from the iPhone maker in April.

Apple’s office will be on the Wake County side of Research Triangle Park, the sprawling business hub that sits at the heart of the region and is home to hundreds of companies.

The RTP jobs will pay an average of $187,000 a year, The News & Observer previously reported.

Landing the expansion took the state offering its largest-ever incentive package to a private company. If the company meets its hiring goals, it stands to earn a grant worth $845.8 million over 39 years. Wake County also plans to chip in $20 million.

While it builds a new office, Apple will set up shop temporarily in Cary, The N&O previously reported.

2. Toyota (1,750 jobs)

In what will be the largest capital investment by a business in North Carolina, Japanese automaker Toyota said it will open a battery manufacturing plant in Randolph County.

The manufacturing facility stands to play a key role in the carmaker’s efforts to transform its offerings from traditional gas-powered vehicles to ones that are hybrid or fully electric.

Located on a sprawling 1,800-acre piece of land in Liberty, N.C., the Toyota plant will likely draw potential employees from the Greensboro area or potentially the southern parts of the Triangle.

To land the 1,750 jobs, the state offered an incentive package worth $438.7 million — a figure that was boosted by a bill added to the state’s recently passed budget. Randolph County will add another $167.3 million to the offer, according to the Commerce Department.

All of these numbers could grow, though, as the state said it anticipates a second phase of development from Toyota. Mark Poole, of the Commerce Department, said the state anticipates there will be a second phase of expansion at the battery plant in the 2030s, which could require a second round of incentives.

“The phase two commitments would not be considered until the company creates at least 3,875 jobs and invests at least $3 billion,” he said.

3. Fidelity (1,500 jobs)

Fidelity, the Boston-based financial services company, has been on a hiring tear in the past year, as millions of Americans began investing online during the pandemic.

That has been a boon to its offices on the Durham County side of Research Triangle Park. Fidelity said, in September, that it would add 1,538 jobs in Research Triangle Park — the company’s third expansion this year. The jobs will be focused on technology roles as well as customer-service positions, the company told The N&O.

Fidelity did not provide a salary range for the new jobs, and the state did not offer the company any incentives for the expansion.

4. Google (1,000 jobs)

Another jobs announcement that did not require incentives came from the technology giant Google, which said in March that it plans to create 1,000 jobs in downtown Durham in the coming years.

Durham, Google said, could become one of the company’s top five engineering hubs in the U.S., along with the Bay Area, New York, Seattle and Kirkland, Washington.

The company’s Durham office will be led by Kamala Subramaniam, an N.C. State University graduate.

5. Fujifilm Diosynth (725 jobs)

Japanese contract drug manufacturer Fujifilm Diosynth said in March it will build a new manufacturing facility in Holly Springs and bring 725 jobs to the area over the next five years.

In exchange, North Carolina agreed to give Fujifilm a Job Development Investment Grant worth up to $19.7 million, if the company meets hiring and investment goals. The state also put an additional $13 million of training support and transportation infrastructure into its offer. And Wake County and Holly Springs added $92 million of local incentives to the project.

The Fujifilm jobs would pay an average annual salary of $99,848.

6. Credit Karma (600 jobs)

Fintech company Credit Karma stands to receive more than $22 million in incentives, after it promised in May to create 600 jobs in Charlotte.

Jobs with Credit Karma include software engineering, project management, data and other technical roles. Average pay for the jobs will be $156,000.

San Francisco-based Credit Karma makes a free credit and financial management platform.

7. White River Marine Group (502 jobs)

After acquiring North Carolina-based Hatteras Yachts, White River Marine Group, a boat manufacturer owned by Bass Pro Shops, said it could hire some 500 people in the coastal North Carolina town of New Bern.

White River said New Bern would become the home of its saltwater boat production, which includes brands such as MAKO and Ranger Saltwater, the New Bern Sun Journal reported.

White River could receive an incentive from the state worth $5.4 million if it meets hiring goals.

8. MasterBrand Cabinets (464 jobs)

MasterBrand, a large manufacturer of cabinets, picked the Eastern North Carolina city of Kinston in November for nearly 500 jobs.

The company already had a large presence in the city, with around 800 employees, according to WITN.

The new jobs paid on average $39,839 a year, and MasterBrand could get around $3.9 million from the state in incentives.

9. Robinhood (389 jobs)

In March, the buzzy stock trading app Robinhood said it would create 389 jobs in Charlotte, a city that has long been known as a financial center.

The company will receive up to $3.7 million in incentives from the city and state, The Charlotte Observer reported at the time.

The average salary for the positions is just over $76,000, the state’s Commerce Department said, and competition for the jobs came from Denver, Colorado, Fort Mill, South Carolina, and Tempe, Arizona.

10. Invitae (374 jobs)

In April, Invitae Corp., a medical genetics company based in San Francisco, said it plans to build a testing center and laboratory in Morrisville that could one day be home to 374 jobs, The N&O reported.

Invitae could receive nearly $6.8 million in state tax breaks if it meets hiring and investment targets set by the state.

The biotech company will pay an average of $91,176 a year, according to the state’s Commerce Department.

Using a sample of saliva, Invitae analyzes a person’s genes to look for changes that could potentially lead to disease. The tests can be ordered by a physician or, the company says, an independent physician will review a person’s health history to consider whether a test is appropriate.

This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. Learn more; go to bit.ly/newsinnovate

This story was originally published December 11, 2021 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Toyota, Apple and .... Here are the 10 biggest job announcements in NC this year."