Georgia is investing in its future labor market with increases in educational and technical training. Gov. Roy Barnes has made education the cornerstone of his economic development package with $468 million for additional classrooms. But it will be some time before the state reaps the benefits of concentrated training and education, and even with the economic slowdown, labor shortages remain within the Peach State.
      Atlanta leads the state in unparalleled economic growth over the past few years. Competition for labor in the 20-county metro area remains stiff. According to U.S. Census data, Atlanta posted an increase of 70,000 jobs from December 1999 to December 2000.
      "It's really hard to find people," says Deborah Hodge, chairwoman of Southeastern Construction & Management Inc., a luxury residential construction and development company. "I think it's because of a tight labor market. Atlanta has been going great guns and has attracted a lot of people."

Atlanta, recently rated the No. 1
market in the U.S. for high-tech talent,
posts unemployment rates below the national average.

      Even with the economic slowdown and area layoffs at CNN, Solectron, Wachovia and Amazon.com, Atlanta continues to post job gains. Business leaders claim the market has recently opened up considerably, but competition remains stiff for quality employees. The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce has begun running print ads to recruit high-tech workers in Rolling Stone and Red Herring. The Chamber also ran an ad on the ABC SuperScreen in Times Square while passing out sunglasses.
      The employment picture for the remainder of the Peach State is not quite as promising. Despite minor job growth, Georgia showed an increased unemployment rate for the second straight month in February to 3.4 percent. South Georgia posted a slight recovery in unemployment figures. In July 2000, the South Georgia area recorded an unemployment rate of more than 6 percent. Despite layoffs of more than 400 employees at U.S. Marine in Lowndes County, the area's rate declined by two-tenths percent in February.
      The South Georgia area has traditionally been home to modest manufacturing facilities and agriculture. The state hopes to improve both employment and the labor pool in the area with targeted programs for training and economic development. Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor is spearheading development efforts in rural areas of the state. Taylor considers Georgia's public and technical schools vital to the future of economic development in rural Georgia. "Our technical colleges are absolutely critical to our overall economic health, just as training and retraining our work force is critical to industry," says Taylor.
      Georgia Commissioner of Labor Michael Thurmond predicts the labor market within the state will remain competitive. He claims Georgia and the metro Atlanta area will continue to post unemployment rates well below the national average.
      "The short-term solution is restructuring Georgia's job-training program," says Thurmond. "We are continuing to urge employers to seek nontraditional sources of labor including the disabled, senior citizens and rehabilitated ex-offenders."