RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Fidelity Investments officials announced Monday that they plan to add 1,500 entry-level jobs in North Carolina by the end of the year.
“You do not have to be a licensed financial professional to get hired. We’ll train you,” Rob Merdes, general manager of Fidelity’s new Personal Investments Regional Center, said at a ceremony at the company’s RTP hub.
Unlike many jobs in RTP, no college degree is required for the new positions with Fidelity. The company is looking for people with strong customer service skills, including hospitality workers who might have lost their jobs during the pandemic, Merdes said.
“These new roles will help people with some of the most important financial goals of their lives, such as buying a home, getting married, saving for college or planning for retirement,” he said.
Fidelity already has more than 500 jobs posted online, and it’s working with North Carolina Central University, Durham Technical Community College and Wake Technical Community College to expose students to financial literacy coursework that will help in filling the jobs.
“Companies can count on our state’s talented workers to get the job done,” Gov. Roy Cooper said at the ceremony.
The 1,500 jobs are on top of 750 positions in RTP and Charlotte that Fidelity announced in May. The first expansion the company announced in 2021 were 250 technology-focused roles at the RTP campus.
“Fidelity is a valued corporate citizen in our state, and I applaud their commitment to offer job opportunities to people with diverse backgrounds and skills,” North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders said. “Our state’s economy works best when everyone has a chance to compete and participate.”
Fidelity to add 9,000 jobs – including a ‘good number’ in Triangle
Earlier this month, the company announced it would be hiring 9,000 workers nationwide, noting at the time a “good number” would be hired in the Triangle. WRAL TechWire reported previously that some 9% of the jobs will be in technical positions and more than 40% would be client-facing roles.
The steady growth is a boon to nearby businesses, such as The Glass Jug Beer Lab, on N.C. Highway 55 in Durham.
“We get a lot of folks that come over after work, a lot of happy-hour-type crowd, and that’s great,” co-owner Katy Creech said.
When The Glass Jug opened seven years ago, Creech said, it was “the only place within at least a 10-minute drive where you could sit down and have a good craft beer.”
The one-time boutique bottle shop has since grown into a bigger space with an on-site brewery, full bar and beer garden in the heart of RTP.
“By having us here, it really gives sort of a community center, a place for people to get together and meet their neighbors,” co-owner Chris Creech said.
The Glass Jug’s success is something others want to replicate, from Boxyard RTP that opened in June to the $50 million Horseshoe development of retail and office space under construction on Davis Drive.
“We love seeing growth, and we think the growth of our business is sure to follow,” Chris Creech said.
