Employment

As already reported here in ABD, June employment in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) fell by 300, the first decline since February. But how did other labor market indicators fare in June? How do earnings in Augusta compare with other cities? The unemployment rate fell to 4% from 4.2% in May. This is the lowest unemployment rate since June last year. The employment level can fall while the unemployment rate also declines because those who lose their jobs are no longer looking for work or took jobs outside the

Last week, I reported employment fell in the first six months of the year, but which industries bucked the trend in the Augusta area? Five industries saw employment rise over the last six months. The biggest increase, maybe surprisingly, was in “other services,” which added 955 jobs. This was closely followed by private education and health care services, which added 886 jobs.  Government jobs were up by over 500, with the gains being equally shared between state and local government. Retail added over 300 jobs, and manufacturing added 100.  Large

I was at an economic conference in Denver two weeks ago and went to a session on the minimum wage (so you don’t have to!). Economic theory is clear on the effects of hiking the minimum wage: employers demand less workers and so employment falls. Unfortunately, the empirical observations are not as clear-cut. Some of the trouble lies in isolating the effect of minimum wage laws from other factors that affect employment, such as the general economy or competition from other firms. There are also differences in the data economists

Employment in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) set another record in May. Employment now stands at 254,600, the highest ever, and an increase of 400 from the previous record set in January and April. Employment is 1,100 higher than in May 2025. The largest employment gains were seen in professional and business services, up 160, and transportation and utilities, up 110. Local government also increased by about 90 workers and stands at over 22,000 employees for the first time since September 2017. Whether this is good or bad for