Metro Atlanta’s economy expanded modestly last month as employers continued to look for ways to pull new workers into jobs.
With some companies still complaining of a shortage in qualified job candidates, hiring horizons have broadened to include more immigrants, formerly incarcerated people and people with disabilities — as well as many women who had not been working and people doing “gig” jobs.
“We are seeing significant increases in the number of people coming in,” said Keith Parker, chief executive at Goodwill of North Georgia, which offers free training and job placement. “A lot of people are making the transition to regular, full-time work.”
The region added 8,100 jobs last month, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.
The expansion was slightly lower the pre-pandemic average for May, a sign that the Federal Reserve’s long campaign to slow the economy with higher interest rates has become at least a modest drag on growth. The region’s unemployment rate rose from 2.7% to 3.3% in April, a higher-than-usual increase for the month.
But that is still below the pre-pandemic jobless rate. And the number of unemployed — that is, people without a job but actively searching for work — is almost exactly what it was in Feb. 2020.
In the past year, the region has added 71,000 jobs, more than half of them in hiring for healthcare and hospitality, the DOL said.
“Health care is not slowing down,” said Emory Morsberger, president of the Tucker Summit Improvement District, which has 20 companies in medical services and equipment. “The whole biotech field is just exploding. Some of these jobs are for people right out of high school they can train. They can make $60,000-a-year right off the bat.”
Metro Atlanta has more than 2,100 open hotel jobs, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
Most hotels are boosting wages and offering scheduling flexibility, but are still unable to fill open positions, according to the group.
One big reason for unfilled openings is the number of older workers retiring, said Jason Wachtel, managing partner at recruitment firm JW Michaels & Co. “Every year, there are fewer boomers in the workforce. It’s not just a white-collar issue. It’s truckers, it’s logistics, it’s health care and education.”
While the size of the labor force has increased, the pace of that expansion has leveled off. That encourages employers to hire from groups that have historically been a smaller part of the workforce.
Moeen Amini, 32, who worked as an interpreter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, came to Atlanta after the fall of the U.S.-backed government two years ago. He was hired by Accenture as a recruiting specialist to work with refugee job candidates, part of the company’s commitment to hire 200 refugees here within three years.
“We have candidates who had been working in the (Afghan) presidential office, but they are not fluent in English and they are struggling here,” he said. “That doesn’t mean they are skill-less.”
That openness about hiring is the right thing to do, but it can also make business sense, said Sissi Jennings, an Accenture managing director.
Studies show diverse teams are more effective, said Jennings, who herself came from China to the United States at age 5. “There is a tight labor force, and these are people in an untapped group that we can reach out to. They are some of the most loyal and dedicated workers. They are worth the investment.”
A tight labor market also puts different pressures on employers.
It can be time-consuming to fill positions. Workers are more selective and companies want to find a match that will not just win them, but keep them, said Ann Vancoillie, chief executive officer of Belgium-based Aluvision, which has most of its American operations in Duluth.
“We found the people we need but it’s been a lot of effort,” she said. “You have to find the right people with the right values. Skills you can learn.”
“Yes, you have to pay them well,” she said. “But what makes a place different is often not the money.”
The company makes and sells aluminum systems, like those used for booths and displays at events and exhibitions. They have about 45 employees in Duluth. By year’s end, they plan to have 70, Vancoillie said.
Yet as crucial as labor is, it is not always a company’s prime concern.
Darius Billings, vice president of marketing at The Athlete’s Foot, an Atlanta-based franchise of 51 stores, including nine in the region.
While each store employs up to 10 part- and full-timers, other worries take a backseat to getting the footwear delivered to the store, he said. “A few of our franchises have some labor shortage problems. But the biggest challenge for us is the supply chain.”
Job growth, May
Best: 20,700 (2016)
Worst: -2,300 (2009)
Average, pre-pandemic: 12,400
Recent: 8,100 (2023)
Unemployment
Pre-pandemic high: 303,986 (June 2009)
Pre-pandemic low: 62,197 (Nov. 2000)
Recent: 107,819 (May 2023)
Pre-pandemic: 107,985 (Feb. 2020)
Unemployment rate*
Highest, pre-pandemic: 11.1% (June 2009)
Lowest, pre-pandemic: 2.6% (Dec. 2000)
Pre-pandemic: 3.4% (Feb. 2020)
Recent: 3.3% (May 2023)
Immigration, Georgia
Foreign born total: 1.08 million
Naturalized citizens: Nearly one-half of all immigrants
Immigrants of working age: 83%
Immigrants either jobless or in low-wage jobs: 20%
*Note: Metro Atlanta data is not adjusted to account for seasonal variations.
Sources: Georgia Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Business and Immigration for Georgia, American Immigration Council
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