(The Center Square) – North Carolina is third in the South Atlantic, fifth in the South and seventh in the nation for “pro-growth” reforms, according to a new report from the American Legislative Exchange Council.
ALEC 2025 States That Work: A Labor Policy Roadmap Across America, released Tuesday, considers labor policies – including a 10-point model checklist – and jobs overview in formulating the state rankings. Employment growth, state minimum wage, unions and political landscape are inside the factors.
For jobs, North Carolina tied for first with the state minimum wage ($7.25 an hour) equal to the federal; was eighth in average 10-year private sector employment growth (24.61%) ending in 2024; and 23rd in government sector job prevalence (15.17%). The Right-to-Work Act, Open Contracting Act, Collateral Consequences Reduction Act, and Fair and Accountable Public Sector Authority Act also scored well.
“North Carolina gets it,” said Alan Jernigan, manager of the ALEC Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force. “Economic freedom begins with the right to work, the right to move, and the right to grow. By banning public-sector collective bargaining and recognizing licenses from other states, North Carolina has become a haven for workers and entrepreneurs alike. Nearly 700,000 Americans have moved to North Carolina in the last decade, because they see a future there.”
In the 16-state South, the Tarheel State trailed Georgia (third), Arkansas (fourth) and Florida (fifth).
ALEC bills itself as “America’s largest nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism. Comprised of nearly one-quarter of the country’s state legislators and stakeholders from across the policy spectrum, ALEC members represent more than 60 million Americans and provide jobs to more than 30 million people in the United States.”
