Georgia’s unemployment rate now stands at a record low of 3.0%

Georgia’s unemployment rate now stands at a record low of 3.0%

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 May, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released on Friday.

The Georgia Center for Opportunity’s (GCO) take: “Georgia is now one of only 14 states in the U.S. that have fully recovered from pandemic-related job loss,” said Erik Randolph, GCO’s director of research. “The states that imposed the severest lockdown measures due to COVID-19 are still struggling, and likely will be for months to come. All told, Georgia is in excellent company as one of the top states in job recovery. That being said, it’s important to remember that unemployment rates can be misleading. Since the pandemic, we’ve witnessed an acceleration of the decline in the labor force participation rate. Particularly concerning is the persistent problem of prime-working-age males being absent from the labor force. The number is estimated to be around 250,000 men in Georgia in 2021. A major policy goal in our state must be efforts to reengage this men in the labor force.”

GA unemployment 3%
New Research: School Students Lag Behind in Literacy Almost Two Years Into the COVID-19 Pandemic

New Research: School Students Lag Behind in Literacy Almost Two Years Into the COVID-19 Pandemic

New Research: School Students Lag Behind in Literacy Almost Two Years Into the COVID-19 Pandemic

sad kid near bookbag

 New research brief shows that elementary school students lag behind in literacy almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic

The mid-school-year assessment concluded that students in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade are the furthest behind compared to their pre-pandemic counterparts. Black and Hispanic students are bearing the brunt of those learning losses, with the literacy gap between minority students and white students larger than before the pandemic.

The Georgia Center for Opportunity’s (GCO) take: “Count this report as yet another entry in a long line of research studies showing the devastation of learning loss due to school shutdowns,” said Buzz Brockway, GCO’s vice president of public policy. “Georgia kids need the flexibility provided by Promise Scholarships now more than ever. We urge lawmakers to pass either House Bill 999 or House Bill 60 immediately. Both bills would provide up to $6,000 a year for families to choose alternatives to their locally zoned public school.”

 

buzz quote

Inflation hits 30-year high as holiday season nears | Center Square

Inflation hits 30-year high as holiday season nears | Center Square

In The News

Inflation hits 30-year high as holiday season nears | Center Square

The prices of everyday goods are getting increasingly more expensive, new federal data confirm.

The Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday released its monthly report on the consumer price index, a key marker of inflation, which showed that consumer prices rose 0.9% in October and are currently rising at the fastest rate in decades…

Erik Randolph, director of research for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, disagrees, pointing to increased spending under the Biden administration as a cause for concern.

“Hoping that inflation is just transitory may be wishful thinking at this point,” Randolph said. “This October report is a warning bell for Congress and the Federal Reserve to focus on fiscal spending and monetary causes. As Congress proposes spending more on programs using debt, they are at risk of causing more financial woes and not the relief they seek.”

Inflation hits 30-year high as holiday season nears | Center Square

City Of Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County And Impact46 Partner To Fund Lawrenceville Response Center | PATCH LAWRENCEVILLE

City Of Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County And Impact46 Partner To Fund Lawrenceville Response Center | PATCH LAWRENCEVILLE

The City of Lawrenceville and Gwinnett County partner with Impact46 to provide $525,000 in funding for the Lawrenceville Response Center (LRC). The Lawrenceville City Council unanimously finalized support at a special called meeting on Wednesday, February 10. Gwinnett County will secure their support for the project through the C.A.R.E.S. Act…

PRESS RELEASE: GCO signs on to federal policy recommendations to provide educational opportunity for all schoolchildren

PRESS RELEASE: GCO signs on to federal policy recommendations to provide educational opportunity for all schoolchildren

PRESS RELEASE: GCO signs on to federal policy recommendations to provide educational opportunity for all schoolchildren

PEACHTREE CORNERS—The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) announced today that it has signed on to policy recommendations to Congress that would expand educational access for more schoolchildren. The recommendations were jointly issued by GCO in partnership with other nonprofit think tanks across the U.S.

“The education landscape in Georgia will look vastly different this summer and fall, and we need to include all schools—and as a result all students—in our planning to ensure full educational equity,” said Buzz Brockway, GCO’s vice president of public policy. “While the lion’s share of support will go to Georgia’s 1.7 million students enrolled in traditional public schools, we can’t afford to neglect the over 315,000 students attending public charter, private, and home schools. These recommendations would have the greatest impact on low-income, working-class, and impoverished families, the very ones who need help the most.”

The recommendations include:

Enabling educational access and providing direct support to families:
Expand the use of 529 education accounts, support education through Emergency Education Savings Accounts or microgrants, and create a “student checkup” account that provides funds to parents for use over the summer for tutoring, testing, or other expenses to foster academic progress.

Supporting private schools:
Provide a federal tax credit for donations directly to private schools, provide a temporary refundable tax credit to help low-income families continue paying private school tuition, and create equitable funding sharing requirements between traditional public schools and non-traditional options (such as public charter and non-public schools).

Improving Internet access for vulnerable families:
Address online equity issues for low-income and rural communities by expanding E-rate and providing incentives to spur the broadband infrastructure.

Supporting teachers and the transition to distance learning:
Provide a microgrant for teachers to learn and develop distance learning.