North Carolina law sets job and hiring rules for public employees

The law sets appointment categories and rules for when some employees qualify for career status. Permanent employees generally start with a probationary appointment; some employees in temporary, time-limited, or work-and-training appointments have different categories. A supervisor may extend probation by six months to assess an employee's performance. Sworn law enforcement and forensic science employees who must complete formal training generally need 24 months in a probationary appointment. The appointment categories generally do not apply to local employees, except for career and probationary appointments. The act takes effect October 1, 2026. The six-month probation extension in G.S. 126A-10.1(a)(2) applies only to employees hired on or after that date.

The law directs agencies to review job requirements and allows skills-based hiring and certain work-and-training appointments. These provisions cover job classifications and hiring for positions subject to the chapter. Where practical, the Commission must remove degree requirements from job descriptions when a degree is not necessary. Agencies may use demonstrated skills instead of relying only on education, experience, or credentials; any skills assessment must fairly relate to success in the job. An agency may hire someone who does not yet meet minimum qualifications into a work-and-training appointment if the person is expected to qualify after no more than four years. The act takes effect October 1, 2026. Work-and-training appointments may last up to four years while the employee works and trains toward the job's minimum qualifications.

The law bars covered agencies from requiring applicants or employees to affirm certain beliefs in specified situations. The applicant rule applies to agencies covered by the chapter; parallel workplace rules apply to executive and judicial branch employees. An agency may not require a job applicant to endorse or describe support for or opposition to beliefs about current political or social issues as a condition of employment. Executive and judicial branch workplaces may not compel employees to affirm the listed beliefs at work or in training. A training contractor may respond to participants' questions about those beliefs if the contractor makes clear that the employer does not endorse them; the rule does not apply to speech protected by the First Amendment. The act takes effect October 1, 2026.