In 2013, Georgia’s employment growth has been concentrated
in two surprisingly different parts of the state – the Atlanta metro area and
the rural portions of the state.
Using seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment data provided
by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Georgia has added 83,600 jobs for the
first 11 months of 2013, an increase of 2.1 percent.
The Atlanta metro area, which includes 28 counties,
contributed 52,700 jobs, an increase of 2.2 percent.
In comparison, the rural counties in the state
added another 26,400 jobs, an increase of 5.1 percent.
Small Metro Areas
Growing Smaller
In contrast, the Brunswick metro area has lost 500 jobs so
far this year, Warner Robins is down 500 jobs,
After the Atlanta area, the four largest metro areas in
Georgia are Augusta (GA-SC), Savannah, Columbus (GA-AL), and Macon. These areas
contain more than 590,000 jobs.
So far this year, the four areas combined have shown a net
increase of 2,000 jobs, two-thirds of which occurred in the Macon metro area,
which added 1,300 jobs.
Altogether the state’s metro areas excluding the Atlanta
area have added only 4,500 jobs over 11 months, an increase of less than half a
percentage point.
As a result, the state's smaller metro areas continue to suffer even as the state as a whole continues its jobs recovery.
The non-Atlanta metro areas have not seen a significant recovery of traditional manufacturing The downturn in the Federal budget has affected areas such as Hinesville-Fort Stewart and Warner Robins, while the shrinking of the state's workforce has also contributed to this stagnation.
Smaller metro bases have been unable to take advantage of the job growth related to business services, health and education, and leisure and hospitality that has benefited the Atlanta metro area.
Unless these smaller metro areas find ways to tap into these service-based industries, they may continue to shrink in importance.
Table 1. Nonfarm job
growth for 11 months ending in November 2013, seasonally adjusted
AREA
|
NET
CHANGE IN NONFARM JOBS
(in
1,000s)
|
PERCENTAGE
CHANGE IN NONFARM JOBS
|
Statewide Georgia
|
83.6
|
2.1
|
ALBANY, GA, MSA
|
0.6
|
1.0
|
ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY, GA, MSA
|
1.3
|
1.5
|
ATLANTA, GA, MSA
|
52.7
|
2.2
|
AUGUSTA, GA-SC, MSA
|
-0.1
|
0.0
|
BRUNSWICK, GA MSA
|
-0.5
|
-1.2
|
COLUMBUS, GA-AL, MSA
|
0.3
|
0.2
|
DALTON, GA, MSA
|
0.5
|
0.8
|
GAINESVILLE, GA, MSA
|
1.0
|
1.3
|
HINESVILLE-FORT STEWART, GA, MSA
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
MACON, GA, MSA
|
1.3
|
1.3
|
ROME, GA, MSA
|
-0.1
|
-0.3
|
SAVANNAH, GA, MSA
|
0.5
|
0.3
|
VALDOSTA, GA, MSA
|
0.2
|
0.4
|
WARNER ROBINS, GA, MSA
|
-0.5
|
-0.8
|
Data provided by U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics