Georgia Crosses 5 Million Jobs: Now Let’s Keep the Momentum Going

The Georgia Department of Labor reports the state hit 5,002,400 jobs in May, an all-time high and the third consecutive month of growth. Round numbers make headlines, but the figures beneath this one tell the story that should matter most to policymakers, and to every Georgian looking for opportunity.

Start with the labor force, which climbed to a record 5,470,704. Total employment set its own record at 5,283,862, and the unemployment rate dipped to 3.4 percent, a full 0.9 points below the national rate. Georgia’s labor force is growing: people and employers keep choosing the state, and the workforce keeps expanding to match. Over the past year, the labor force grew by more than 63,000 and employment by over 56,000.

This is what opportunity looks like when policymakers create the right environment for the private sector to thrive. Georgia has earned its standing as a top state for business by keeping the fundamentals right, and the policy tailwind is strengthening. This year, lawmakers accelerated the largest income tax cut in state history, dropping the flat rate to 4.99 percent three years ahead of schedule, with a glide path toward 3.99 percent. That keeps Georgia competitive with no-income-tax neighbors like Florida and Tennessee. And while high-tax states like California, New York and Illinois keep shedding residents and the incomes that follow them, Georgia keeps drawing people in.

There’s still plenty of room to grow the workforce, such as reforming the occupational licensing rules that keep willing workers locked out of good jobs, easing Certificate of Need restrictions so health care providers can expand to meet rising demand and clearing the way for the housing a growing population needs. Pair those with continued tax relief, and 5 million becomes a launching point rather than a high-water mark.

Georgia built this. The job now is to keep building.