NEWS & OPINIONS
Hiring Well, Doing Good is ramping up in Columbus!
We recently received the alarming news that 40% of low-income households across the U.S. reported a job loss in March due to shutdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic. Closer to home here in Georgia, Columbus faces a rising unemployment rate (12.2% as of April) that is...
All Georgians Deserve to Participate in The Economic Recovery
All Georgians Deserve to Participate in The Economic Recovery By Buzz Brockway The Coronavirus pandemic has caused massive numbers of people to lose their jobs. Georgia’s official unemployment rate is 9.7%. However, as we reported last week , many others are not...
What’s Georgia’s Real Unemployment Number?
What’s Georgia’s Real Unemployment Number? By Erik RandolphDon’t be fooled by Georgia’s unemployment rate. While many are breathing a sigh of relief that barely one in ten Georgian’s are out of work, the reality is much worse. Georgia’s unemployment rate (U-3) dropped...
To Rebuild Trust in Law Enforcement, We Must Reform Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws
To Rebuild Trust in Law Enforcement, We Must Reform Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws By Buzz Brockway In the wake of the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and now Rayshard Brooks, issues of racism and questions about use of force by police...
How Local Businesses are Helping Workers and Feeding the Hungry During the Pandemic
Restaurant workers and the impoverished are two categories of people particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic and its economic devastation. An estimated 8 million restaurant workers have been out of work nationally, while 39 percent of households earning...
Mental Wellness during COVID-19 for Children and Adolescents | HEALTHY @ HOME
Discover how to recognize the mental wellness of the children in your home and helping them adjust to struggling times. Special guest licensed professional counselor, Rebeca Gibbons, shares how our kids now face new obstacles on how to connect and build a healthy...
The Untold Story of Georgia’s Primary Elections
Georgia made national headlines after Tuesday’s primary elections. Most of the coverage focused on long lines, mail-in ballots, new voting machines, and results that were not finalized until the wee hours of the morning. (In fact, some results are still pending). ...
Reviewing Georgia’s DOE School Reopening Guidelines
The Georgia Department of Education (DOE) last week released guidance for local Boards of Education to consider as they develop plans for the 2020-2021 school year. “Georgia’s Path to Recovery for K-12 Schools” (www.georgiainsights.com/recovery.html) does not issue...
America Lost | Breakthrough Podcast
5 Steps To Mental Wellness | HEALTHY @ HOME
Licensed Professional Counselor Jacqueline Robinson shares five ways that you can keep your mental health in check. These easy steps will help make sure that you and your loved ones are can care and support each other.
A statement on current events affecting our communities
Our hearts are broken by the events of the last few days. We struggle to make little sense of the tragedies around us.
Policy Update: What will schools look like in the fall? | VIDEO
GCO's Vice President of Public Policy, Buzz Brockway is joined by GCO's Jamie Lord to discuss the Georgia Governor's suggestions for returning to school in the Fall. While these are merely suggestions, and schools will be able to choose their plans by district, these...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Georgia’s unemployment rate now stands at a record low of 3.0%
Key Points Georgia is one of 14 states to fully recover from pandemic-related job loss. States with severest lockdown are still struggling. There's been a decline in labor force participation. Georgia's unemployment rate now stands at a record low of 3.0% in...
America’s Labor Force Problem Goes Beyond Economics
Key Points Separation from the workforce is impacting mental, physical and social health of our communities. Some employees are choosing to leave or refuse work to stay ahead on bills. Government safety-net programs must be reconfigured to move people into work for...
Georgia House subcommittee to examine recruiting and retention challenges for state’s workforce | Jackson Progress-Argus
A new state House subcommittee plans to examine the Georgia workforce’s challenges in recruiting and retaining talent... Meanwhile, the Georgia Center for Opportunity has joined the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Louisiana’s Pelican Institute for Public Policy to...
Experts say Georgia policymakers should remove governmental barriers to job creation | The Center Square
As the Consumer Price Index continues to rise, a Georgia nonprofit says the state should remove barriers to jobs to facilitate business growth. The non-seasonally adjusted CPI rose 0.3% in April and has increased 8.3% in the last 12 months... "Economics 101 teaches...
Inflation slowed in April, but prices continued their steady increase | KTBS
Inflation continued its steady rise in April, when the Consumer Price Index increased 8.3% over last year, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the month, the CPI rose 0.3%. That's down from the 1.2% spike in March, but...
New Research Predicts Long-Term Pain for Labor Market
Long-term pain for labor market due to the COVID-19 pandemic New research predicts long-term pain for the labor market due to around 3 million workers who plan to remain permanently sidelined over concerns of physical illness or physical impairment due to the COVID-19...
Georgia Unemployment Rate: Lowest Record Since 1976
State unemployment rate stands at a record low On Friday, April 15th, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released state employment numbers for Georgia. They show that our state unemployment rate stands at a record low of 3.1%, the lowest since the BLS began tracking...
Randy Hicks on taking a bottom-up strategy to state policy reform | Overton Window Podcast
GCO's CEO, Randy Hicks speaks with fellow think tank podcast, The Overton Window Below is an excerpt from the Mackinac Center in Michigan. The Mackinac Center recently invited GCO's CEO, Randy Hicks to discuss GCO's take on State Policy Reform on their regular...
