Today's "The State of Things" on WUNC radio will have some sharp minds discussing the economy and where it's headed.

Scheduled guests include Well Fargo senior economist Mark Vitner, N.C. State labor historian David Zonderman and Latino Community Credit Union executive Erika Bell.

Oh, and they're even considering letting me on, to offer some perspective of the Triangle's economy and business climate. The conversation will explore jobs, housing and other issues.

The broadcast starts at Noon on 91.5 FM, and will be available online here.

To participate, you can call 1.877.962.9862 or email comments to sot@wunc.org.

Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems plans to open an engineering center in Charlotte and create 135 high-paying jobs over the next five years.

This morning, state officials approved giving the Japanese company up to $2.9 million in incentives if it meets hiring and investment targets.

The company will pay average annual salaries of $102,454. Mitsubishi also considered expansion in South Carolina.

The Charlotte center will help build nuclear plants in the United States.

Gov. Bev Perdue plans to make an announcement about new jobs in Charlotte this morning.

Charlotte is making a concerted effort to turn itself into a hub for energy-related companies.

Mitsubishi joins a number of other engineering and design firms that already have a presence in the ciy, including The Shaw Group, AREVA NP, Toshiba, Westinghouse, Fluor, Siemens and URS.

Syngenta Biotechnology will invest $71 million constructing a new research complex at its Research Triangle Park campus.

The company, a division of Swiss agribusiness company Syngenta, chose RTP over sites in China, Singapore and Brazil. The expansion will add 15 employees to Syngenta’s existing RTP workforce of 400.

Officials announced the decision today during an industry symposium held at the N.C. Biotechnology Center in RTP.

Syngenta chose RTP because of North Carolina’s business climate and the support it received from local and state officials, said Michiel van Lookeren Campagne, the company’s president.

Last week, Durham County commissioners approved giving the company up to $225,000 in incentives to help win the expansion. The state provided no incentives, but Commerce Department officials were actively involved in recruiting the company.

The state's unemployment rate held steady in April, remaining at 9.7 percent for the second month in a row.

New figures released today by the N.C. Employment Security Commission showed that the state added 2,900 nonfarm jobs during April.

"We continue to be encouraged by the job growth we have seen over the last few months," said ESC Chairman Lynn Holmes.

Since April 2010, the unemployment rate has dropped from 11.1 percent, and the number of unemployed workers has decreased by 70,471.

As it continues steady expansion of its business, SciQuest is slowly adding more staff.

The Cary company is hiring in the Triangle and in Houston, the base for a company it bought in December. It now employs about 240 people and expects to hire more in coming months.

"That means we're seeing more business to support our need for additional people," said CEO Stephen Wiehe.

While it's taking a bit longer to find "great talent" than it did during the economic downturn in 2009 and 2010, the fledgling recovery isn't forcing employers to pay more for top recruits yet, Wiehe said.

Late Thursday, the company reported that first-quarter revenue rose to $12.5 million, up 24 percent from a year earlier. Its profit of 6 cents per share exceeded analysts' expectations.

The oil and gas industry has launched a publicity campaign to remind Americans about the key role of fossil fuels in the nation's economy.

The American Petroleum Institute said this week the industry has about 44,000 jobs in North Carolina. The jobs span the gamut: gas station attendants, energy traders, truckers, manufacturing operations and more.

The message: Mess with those jobs and you'll wreak havoc with peoples' livelihoods. Or put another way: What's good for oil and gas is good for America.

A company that makes packaging straps plans to expand its production facility in Clinton, and create 34 jobs during the next three years.

DuBose Strapping will receive a state grant worth up to $138,000 if it meets hiring and investment milestones, Gov. Bev Perdue's office announced today.

The company opened its Clinton operation in 1991 and now employs 93 people. The facility is located in Sampson County about 65 miles south of Raleigh.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is moving about 45 jobs to its Durham offices.

The trade association announced today that it is relocating its Continuing Professional Education Division to the Bull City. The division is currently located in offices in Lewisville, Texas, and New York City.

The jobs are technical and non-technical positions, and include designers, publication associates and web editors. Many of the employees in New York and Texas will be offered an opportunity to relocate. The move is scheduled to be completed in early spring of next year.

The additional jobs will bring AICPA's total staff in Durham to nearly 500. The institute agreed in 2005 to relocate a chunk of its operations to Durham from Jersey City, N.J.

Unilever plans to expand its factory in Raeford that makes a variety of body washes, shampoos and deodorants, adding 65 jobs over the next three years.

The consumer-products conglomerate and Gov. Bev Perdue's office announced the expansion this afternoon at the Hoke County facility, located about 80 miles southwest of Raleigh.

Unilever will receive a state grant worth up to $195,000 if it meets its latest hiring goals. That grant also requires matching local incentives.

The new jobs will pay average annual salaries of $39,605. The Hoke County average is $25,324.

Unilever also considered expanding its factory in Missouri.

North Carolina's unemployment rate dipped slightly in March to 9.7 percent, the state's Employment Security Commission reported this morning.

The rate was 9.8 percent in February. It has now been under 10 percent for six straight months.

The state created 13,900 nonfarm jobs in March, with the largest job increases occurring in business services, which added 6,000 jobs.

The number of people classified as unemployed decreased by 1,949.

For the year, the state has now added 36,500 jobs.

Despite declining 1.4 percentage points over the last year, North Carolina's unemployment remains well above the national rate of 8.8 percent.