Georgia's economy will add nearly 334,000 jobs over the next five years, many of them in the burgeoning film, healthcare and technology industries, according to a report from CareerBuilder.
But, while that job growth would be solid if projections pan out, it's not as robust as the past five years, when the state added 519,600 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State predicts job growth will slow through 2020.
That’s because there is a shrinking number of Georgians looking for work, said Michelle Armer, chief people officer at CareerBuilder, the Chicago-based human resources company that uses technology, including artificial intelligence, to find match jobseekers with job.
“This slowdown is what can be expected with unemployment so low,” she said. “But it is important to understand that the projected growth is still encouraging for the Georgia labor market.”
Atlanta has produced the lion’s share of new jobs and that will continue. Much of the expected growth will come in sectors that are already thriving in the metro area, the CareerBuilder report predicted.
"Atlanta is also now an entertainment industry hub, and it's becoming a technical hub," said Armer.
Among new growth recently announced:
- BioIQ, a health tech company that will put its headquarters in Cobb County.
- BlackRock plans to locate its tech center in Fulton County.
- BurningCastle, a technology consulting company, is adding 50 jobs in Augusta.
CareerBuilder broke its job projections into categories: high paying, at $23.60 an hour or more; middle wages, paying $14.18 to $23.59; and low wages, paying $14.17 or less.
The flourishing film industry boasts the fastest growth in the region's new higher-paying jobs. The number of film editors will grow by 49 percent, according to CareerBuilder.
Demand for producers and directors will expand by 37 percent, CareerBuilder calculated.
But film is a new industry in Georgia, so those rapid percentage increases are building on a relatively small base. Even after that double-digit expansion there will still be only about 6,500 film editors, producers and directors in the state.
Georgia’s economy benefits from being diverse, with no one sector holding the key to success or failure. But some sectors provide the foundation for growth.
Health care accounts for four of the 10 high-paying jobs likely to be most in demand: nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical therapist assistants and physical therapists.
And nearly 300,000 people in the state are in information tech, according to the Technology Association of Georgia.
Two tech jobs are in the top 10 for growth, according to CareerBuilder. Software and application developers will account for 4,708 positions, while about 500 hires will be made for information security analysts.
Right now, about 7.5 percent of jobs in metro Atlanta are in the science, technology, engineering and math — or STEM — field, according to research done by WalletHub, a personal finance website. Moreover, Atlanta is currently No. 1 in the nation for STEM job openings per capita, according to WalletHub.
On the other end of the pay spectrum, employers will be adding more than 15,000 low-paying positions in food preparation.
And, in the middle, the demand for medical assistants will help drive job growth, CareerBuilder said. The state will add nearly 27,000 positions in five years.
Overall, in the next five years, the state will add 333,942 jobs, CareerBuilder projects.
Georgia’s strongest expected job growth, next five years
High wage ($23.60 or more per hour)
- Software developers: 4,708 positions
- Producers and directors: 1,659
- Nurse practitioners: 1,128
Middle wage ($14.18 - $23.59 per hour)
- Medical assistants: 3,814
- Actors: 720
- Massage therapists: 673
Low wage ($14.17 or less per hour)
- Food prep and serving, including fast food: 15,573
- Personal care aides: 5,909
- Home health aides: 3,126
Source: CareerBuilder
Total job additions, next five years, Georgia
- High wage: 122,597
- Middle wage: 100,178
- Low wage: 111,167
Source: CareerBuilder
Job growth in Georgia
- Past five years: 519,600 jobs
- Projected, next five: 333,942 jobs
Source: CareerBuilder
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