Corning is adding 205 jobs in Winston-Salem and Hickory

Corning Optical Communications is planning to add 205 new hires at its fiber optic cable facilities in Winston-Salem and the Catawba County town of Hickory over the next five years.

The company’s $83.5 million expansion plans were disclosed Monday morning at a meeting of the state Economic Investment Committee, which approved $1.9 million in Job Development Investment Grants, or JDIGs, for the project. Those incentives, which are linked to Corning meeting its hiring and investment targets, are being matched by local governments.

Corning, which already employs 755 full-time workers at the sites in Forsyth County and in Hickory in Catawba County, plans to pay an average wage of $58,151, according to the state Commerce Department. The average wage in Catawba County is $38,238, while the average wage in Forsyth County is $49, 817.

Corning Optical is part of giant specialty glass and electronics manufacturer Corning Inc. The parent company employs an additional 2,505 workers at five other North Carolina locations.

Corning also considered expanding in China and Mexico, according to the Commerce Department.

This story was originally published September 26, 2016 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Corning is adding 205 jobs in Winston-Salem and Hickory."