Atlanta, the commerce center of the South, is the strongest choice for Georgia employment. The soft drink giant, Coca Cola, and the cable giants, Cable News Network and Weather Channel, are headquartered there as are numerous industries and comglomerate offices. Atlanta relies on a strong base of highly skilled jobs. It is also home to the state government, the federal Center for Disease Control, and other federal and state agencies, all of which provide Georgia employment.
Georgia unemployment
Georgia unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) increased from October 2008 to October 2009 by 3.3% to a rate of 10.2%
[Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics]
Georgia Employment Opportunities
The Atlanta area continues to grow and expand with Georgia employment opportunities. Many airlines and airline-related businesses are attached to the large Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport. With more than 10,000 employees, there are more than 12,000 high-tech companies in the Atlanta area. Jobs in these industries range from internet security to logistics to telecommunications and more. The Atlanta area also has several hundred bioscience and biotech firms ranging from research to pharmaceuticals. It is also home to many hospitals and such specialized non-profit employers as the Arthritis Foundation and the American Cancer Society. Architects and builders add to the job market because the area is continuously built and rebuilt. Tourism and service industries provide many more jobs.
Georgia Employment is projected to grow with 400 new or vacated Atlanta area computer-related jobs: computer analysts, software engineers, network systems and data computer analysts, and network and computer system managers. Other Georgia employment needs included a projected 350 nurses, 80 civil engineers, 80 graphic artists, 200 computer support specialists, and 500 administrative or clerical positions in the Atlanta area.
Savannah, which is a port city near the Atlantic Ocean, offers many job possibilities in tourism and industry. Another area of Georgia employment is Athens located in northeast Georgia. It is home to the University of Georgia, which is its major employer and the fuel for its business culture. Statesboro near Savannah is home to Georgia Southern University, a large employer and fuel for the area’s growing businesses. Insurance company, Aflac, contributes to Georgia employment in Columbus, located in the southwestern part of the state. Flowers Foods is a major employer in Thomasville, a town in South Georgia.
Overall unemployment in Georgia is almost 10 percent, a few decimal points higher than the nation. However, this reflects the high poverty rates in the South more than the picture for skilled workers. South Georgia, while home to some thriving cities, is primarily farm country, much of which is economically depressed.
Georgia Employment Resources
Opportunities can be found at the Georgia Department of Labor website (www.dol.state.ga.us). This site includes projections of the numbers and types of jobs that will become available in Georgia. The Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce has directories listing bioscience, high-tech and other groupings of important businesses (www.metroatlantachamber.com/serving/mem_directory9.asp). This allows you to search within the business community for the types of employers that would interest you.
For more on Georgia employment, visit www.georgiajobs.com. This includes regular job postings and a place to post your resume. The site, employmentatlanta.com, is a recruiter for financial and accounting jobs. On atlantarecruiter.com/candidates.php. you can search for jobs and post your resume. The Atlanta Journal Constitution Newspaper’s website (www.ajc.com/hotjobs/content/hotjobs/index.html) offers Georgia employment listings, apartments and housing.
Georgia Living Conditions
Georgia can be split into two halves. North Georgia starts in the hills below Atlanta and extends northward into the mountains. The northern, mountainous areas have slightly lower temperatures than the rest of the state which suffers from 100 degree heat in July and August. Winters in the mountains are colder, with temperatures near freezing and some snowfall. However most of the state has warm winters with lows in the 40s. Spring is a beautiful season as the entire state seemed to bloom with azaleas, dogwoods and more. Fall is amazing in North Georgia as the trees turn to reds and golds before losing their leaves.
Mostly farm country, South Georgia includes the medium-sized cities of Augusta, Macon, Columbus, Albany, Statesborough and Savannah. Industries and job opportunities are fewer and more spread out than in Atlanta. Many areas have been stagnate for decades. Georgia Pacific (a paper company) is a tree farmer in the area and South Georgia is dotted with planted pine forests which provide forestry opportunities.
The Atlanta area has a regional bus service and MARTA, a light rail system that serves Georgia employment. Unfortunately, MARTA does not serve all Atlanta area communities. This limits its overall effectiveness. Most Atlantans commute by car. This causes the area to suffer from a high pollution index and from traffic jams. Georgia has an impressive system of state parks and many Universities and smaller colleges dot the entire state. Georgia employment is helped by these and the public school system, which is a large employer in some areas.
Atlantans can have a busy social life with countless restaurants, theaters, music venues and clubs. Not all of Atlanta is safe or upbeat. It’s important when job searching or house-hunting to be sure you are moving to a safe area. The crime rate is high.
The rest of Georgia has a lower crime rate, but certainly less of a nightlife. However, Athens, Georgia, has been known for years as an alternative rock mecca. Savannah’s nightlife is more fun due to its location near the beach.
Housing prices in Atlanta are high as are rents, but many people live in the suburbs, seeking lower living costs. The rest of Georgia has significantly lower priced real estate and many are shocked at what $100,000 can buy outside of the Atlanta area.
Georgia Employment
Skilled workers of all kinds should find opportunites in the Georgia employment market. From science and technology to soft drinks and cable networks, Atlanta offers a strong and diverse market of jobs from which to choose. In this area of several million people, there are positions of all kinds in retail, tourism and marketing. Finding the right job in Atlanta would take some effort but the end result might be a very happy future in Georgia employment.
