North Carolina Wins MetLife Jobs

MetLife Inc. announced it will move 2,600 jobs from offices in four Northeast states and California to lower-cost locations in two North Carolina cities, while also getting tax breaks and other incentives that could reach $100 million.

The insurer is shifting the jobs from Lowell and Boston, Mass.; Somerset, N.J.; Bloomfield, Conn.; Johnstown, Pa.; Warwick, R.I.; and Aliso Viejo and Irvine, Calif., MetLife spokesman John Calagna said. The positions will be consolidated in Charlotte, which will become the U.S. headquarters for MetLife’s retail business, and at a technology and operations hub in the Raleigh suburb of Cary. The company’s retail segment sells and services life, disability, auto and other insurance.

MetLife employs about 23,000 U.S. administrative staffers in about 30 locations, mostly in the Northeast, Calagna said. The consolidation will allow teams to work together in the same location while cutting MetLife’s real estate presence, he said.

“What’s happening is there are 2,600 jobs in these locations that either we’re closing or we’re reducing. All of those positions are being transferred to North Carolina,” Calagna said.

The new jobs, paying average salaries of nearly $82,000 a year, will include product management, marketing, sales and customer support in Charlotte and information technology positions in Cary. The company already has about 140 workers in Charlotte.

“The strong business climate, access to universities and colleges and the desirable cost of living in North Carolina were significant factors in choosing to establish these new campuses in Cary and Charlotte,” said Eric Steigerwalt, MetLife executive vice president.

The announcement came after a North Carolina panel approved a tax break that could be worth up to $87 million over 12 years if MetLife retains the jobs and invests $113 million.

The company also is receiving $5 million from community colleges for training and a $2 million grant from another state fund. Charlotte and Mecklenburg County are expected to approve grants totaling $2.9 million. Cary and Wake County are expected to offer up to $4 million.