New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties are home to national and international corporations as well as a wide variety of regionally and locally owned businesses. Growing employers like GE, Corning, PPD, New Hanover Regional Medical Center, county school districts, and city and county governments draw employees from across the region, including Southport, Sunset Beach, Leland, Carolina Beach, Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, Hampstead, Topsail Island and Burgaw.
Among the area's largest employers are the pharmaceutical, chemical, utility and electronics industries, medical and healthcare services, and major retailers such as Walmart, Kohl's and Harris Teeter. Several employment and head-hunting agencies operate in the area, most of them in Wilmington. The N.C. Employment Security Commission has offices in Burgaw, Wilmington and Shallotte, as well as full services online for job seekers and employers.
