Yesterday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released state employment numbers that included major revisions going back to 1990. According to the revisions, Georgia had recovered all its jobs lost during the pandemic in December 2021. Prior to the revision, Georgia was three percentage points shy of that goal.

The Georgia Center for Opportunity’s (GCO) take: “For the January 2022 estimates, Georgia ranks 9th in the nation in recovering lost jobs due to the pandemic, having recovered 4.5% more than what were lost,” said Erik Randolph, GCO’s director of research. “Although Georgia remains short 137,600 jobs from its pre-pandemic job-growth trajectory, our state is fairing much better than other states that imposed more draconian lockdown measures due to COVID-19.”

On March 10th, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that in February the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.8% on a seasonally adjusted basis. The CPI is up 7.9% over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted.

The Georgia Center for Opportunity’s (GCO) take: “The United States is now in a precarious position where our rampant inflation rate is going to begin to infringe on the economic recovery,” said Erik Randolph, GCO’s director of research. “Stagflation could very well be just around the corner. As gas prices surge and there is no let-up in other categories, Americans will begin having to make cutbacks. The impact on the economy will be significant.”

 “We’re seeing firsthand the problem with accepting high levels of inflation as normal. When an unexpected event comes along, like the Russian aggression against Ukraine, it upends everything. The February inflation rate does not fully cover the most recent fallout from the invasion. We’re anticipating that the March CPI will be far worse, as the economic aftershocks of Russia’s war against Ukraine will be more fully baked in.”

The Georgia Center for Opportunity team is honored to be named as one of the Atlas Network’s top 10 nonprofit partners to watch in 2022. Atlas acknowledges GCO as an organization working “to make the world a better place for countless everyday people.”

Atlas’ designation focuses on our work to ensure that Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) are passed into law during the current session of the Georgia Legislature. These would allow public school funds to be used for private school tuition. Quoting Atlas:

Coming out of the pandemic and its devastating effects on educational outcomes, GCO sees the expansion of educational choice as more important and more achievable than ever before. With that perspective in mind, their campaign will push for the implementation of a sweeping educational savings account program in Georgia. These programs are an effective way of providing parents the financial means to choose the best educational option for their children, restoring hope, dignity, and prosperity.

The Atlas Network is a nonprofit organization that seeks to secure for all individuals the rights to economic and personal freedom through its global network of strategic partners.