Atlanta and Georgia will keep growing, adding jobs at a decent pace, but not many of the jobs will be high-paying positions, according to the quarterly forecast of the Georgia State Economic Forecasting Center released Wednesday.
The state will add 77,700 jobs next year, including 14,700 that are “premium,” that is, higher paying jobs, said Rajeev Dhawan, director of the center.
There are potential roadblocks to growth – like another government shutdown – but the state may avoid them, Dhawan said.
Housing permits, which have jumped this year, will keep rising – albeit more modestly — as residential real estate continues to provide fuel for growth, he said.
And while the state of Georgia has been outperforming the nation in job growth, the region was hit harder by recession and has a deeper hole to dig out of. The state’s unemployment rate should fall, but will remain higher than the national rate, Dhawan said.
