NEWS & OPINIONS
BETTER WORK adds direct-to-business job applications
Working to more quickly connect our communities to work. In efforts to better address the needs of the unemployed in our communities, we have taken an evolving learning approach to how we support those in need. Not only are we looking to learn from those in need, but...
Connecting the Presence of an Honored Father
Kenneth Braswell of Father’s Incorporated was recently honored on OWN’s Spotlight Celebrating Black Fatherhood. It brought back a positive memory of the dad event (The Dad Factor: Presence) hosted by the Georgia Center for Opportunity, where fathers and father’s to be...
Putting Georgia’s employment numbers in perspective
Is there any reason not to cheer? Georgia’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.1 percent in May. Here are three reasons why this looks good for Georgia. First, the unemployment rate is declining, giving optimism that the economy is bouncing back from the pandemic....
Still celebrating my father!
A celebration of fathers. Since Father’s Day is upon us, I am sure many of you are thinking about the presence or lack thereof your father in your life. Hopefully some of you are thinking about the father that you are or want to become. No matter where you land, take...
5 Ways to Impress an Employer (Soup to Nuts)
5 Ways to Impress an Employer (Soup to Nuts) Let’s pretend you’re getting ready for an interview. You’re probably wondering what you should wear and whether you should prepare to shake hands or fist bump in the post-COVID world. You may even be practicing eye contact...
Origins of the Georgia Center for Opportunity: Why we choose to focus on healthy families
As an organization whose mission is to alleviate poverty in communities across Georgia, we are sometimes asked why we choose to focus on healthy families. After all, some of the most contentious flash points in our culture today center on the divergent views Americans...
Get Buzz’d Heads to Austin for the Heritage Foundation’s Resource Bank Conference
Get Buzz'd in Austin, Texas at the Heritage Foundation Resource Bank Conference Buzz Brockway and Eric Cochling talk about their experience at the Resource Bank Conference.
New Opportunities Open Up For Kids With Special Needs
Helping Marginalized Students Access Quality Education Mountain Area Christian Academy recently celebrated the passage of the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Expansion bill, also known as SB 47. After Governor Kemp signed SB 47 into law, Mountain Area Christian...
Q&A with Hire Dynamics on challenges of hiring in 2021
April’s nonfarm payroll numbers came in at 266,000, well below the 1 million people forecasters estimated would be hired that month. The low number wasn’t because there were a lack of jobs. There were 8.1 million open positions at the end of March. And it wasn’t due...
President Biden to reinstate the work search requirements for unemployment benefits
President Joe Biden has instructed the federal Department of Labor to work with state labor commissioners to reinstate the work search requirements for unemployment benefits. The Georgia Center for Opportunity's (GCO) take: "Detaching the work-search requirement from...
Unemployment Figures for the U.S. Contrary to Analysts’ Expectations
At 8:30am today, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released updated unemployment figures for the U.S. Contrary to analysts' expectations, the U.S. unemployment rate increased for the first time since April 2020 to 6.1%. The Georgia Center for Opportunity's...
Gov. Brian Kemp is scheduled to sign Senate Bill 47
At 3:30pm today, Gov. Brian Kemp is scheduled to sign Senate Bill 47, a measure that makes vital improvements and updates to the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, the measure passed the House 91-71 and the Senate...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Georgia officials tout unemployment rate that is lower than national average
Georgia officials said Thursday the state’s October unemployment rate remained lower than the national rate, news that follows a new finding that nearly half a million Georgians have dropped out of the workforce.
Georgia officials tout unemployment rate that is lower than national average
Georgia officials said Thursday the state’s October unemployment rate remained lower than the national rate, news that follows a new finding that nearly half a million Georgians have dropped out of the workforce.
Civil Asset Forfeiture and its Impact on Communities of Color in Georgia
The Georgia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights submits this report regarding civil asset forfeiture and its impact on communities of color in Georgia.
Report finds thousands of Georgia residents ‘missing’ from the labor force
While Georgia officials routinely tout the state’s low unemployment rate, a new report found hundreds of thousands of residents are "missing" from the labor force. According to a Georgia Center for Opportunity analysis, 454,100 Georgians are not in the labor force and...
Georgia ranks 8th nationally in economic freedom
Georgia is the 8th most economically free state in the country, according to the report Economic Freedom of North America 2022 by the Fraser Institute. The report tracks freedom across three variables — government spending, taxes, and regulation — and focuses on the...
GCO analysis: Nearly half a million Georgians have given up on work
PEACHTREE CORNERS—A new analysis from the Georgia Center for Opportunity shows that around 454,100 Georgians are missing from the labor force. This figure comes even as pundits celebrate a statewide and national unemployment rate that remains at historic lows. ...
Less than a third of fourth and eight-grade Georgia students score proficient in reading
Georgia officials touted Peach State students' scores on the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, saying they were in line with the national average. However, a leading Georgia nonprofit says news that less than a third of fourth and eighth-grade students...
Less than a third of fourth and eight-grade Georgia students score proficient in reading
Georgia officials touted Peach State students’ scores on the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, saying they were in line with the national average.