By several measures, North Carolina enters the final months of 2026 with one of the strongest labor markets in the country.

The state added 65,600 jobs from August 2025 to August 2026, the third-largest numeric increase in the nation. Unemployment stands at 3.5%, down from 3.9% a year ago, and in the latest county-level data, North Carolina employment grew 0.8%, compared with just 0.1% nationally.

That growth is not limited to one or two major metros. Six of North Carolina’s 15 largest counties rank among the top 13 large counties in the country for employment growth, with New Hanover at No. 5; Cabarrus and Wake at No. 6; Buncombe and Union at No. 10; and Pitt at No. 13.

Wages are rising, too. All 15 of North Carolina’s largest counties reported year-over-year increases in average weekly wages in the first quarter of 2026. Statewide, average weekly wages increased 3.3% to $1,515.

People also continue to choose North Carolina. The state added nearly 146,000 residents from July 2024 to July 2025, the third-largest numeric increase in the nation. In the previous year, North Carolina ranked second nationally for net domestic migration, gaining more than 82,000 residents from other states.

Taken together, these numbers point to an economy where people are coming, jobs are being created, wages are rising, and economic opportunity is expanding across multiple regions of the state.

They also provide important context for another headline declaring North Carolina as the “worst state to work.”

Same State. Different Question.

Oxfam America recently released its 2026 Best States to Work Index, ranking North Carolina 52^nd among the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

How can a state experiencing this kind of job, wage, and population growth rank last as a place to work?

The answer starts with understanding what the index measures.

Despite its broad title, the methodology of Oxfam’s index is fundamentally an assessment of state labor policies. It evaluates 37 policies across wages, worker protections, and rights to organize and collectively bargain. Thirty-five percent of the score is based on wage policies, another 35% on worker protections, and the remaining 30% on policies related to unions and collective bargaining.

Oxfam argues that these policies are strongly associated with worker well-being. But the index does not directly measure job creation, actual wage levels, employment growth, workforce quality, migration, or whether workers are choosing to move to a state.

Consider Right-to-Work. Oxfam gives states credit for policies that support collective bargaining and recommends repealing Right-to-Work laws. North Carolina law, by contrast, protects an employee’s ability to decide whether to join or financially support a union rather than making union membership or dues a condition of employment.

From the NC Chamber’s perspective, that employee choice is a strength.

A Bigger Definition of Worker Success

A strong labor market is about more than any single set of policies or economic indicators.

It means jobs are being created and people have opportunities to advance. It means wages can support a family in the community where someone works. It means employers can find the talent they need and workers can develop the skills those jobs require. It means people can access housing, childcare, healthcare, and transportation that allow them to participate in the economy.

Those are areas where North Carolina has real strengths — and real work ahead.

The state’s rapid growth is creating new pressures on many of the systems that support workers and employers alike. Housing supply has not kept pace with demand in many communities. Childcare remains a barrier to workforce participation. Healthcare costs continue to strain families and employers. As industries change, North Carolina must keep developing the skills and talent needed for the jobs being created here.

Those challenges aren’t evidence that North Carolina’s economic model isn’t working. They are the next set of problems a growing state has to solve.

Business Versus Workers Is the Wrong Debate

Perhaps the biggest problem with the annual “best state/worst state” debate is the assumption that a state must choose between being good for business and being good for workers.

Businesses need talented people. Workers need employers creating jobs, investing in communities, and providing opportunities to build careers. North Carolina needs both.

The goal isn’t to move up one particular ranking. It’s to build an economy where businesses can invest and grow and more North Carolinians have the opportunity to succeed alongside them.

That is the work ahead, and the NC Chamber will stay focused on strengthening the conditions that allow businesses to create opportunity, workers to build successful careers, and North Carolina to remain one of the most competitive states in the nation.