Employment

B2B Stories

Simon Says: Feedback from ABD Reader on Jobs

Loyal Augusta Business Daily reader, Zach Kelehear asked me an interesting question last week about the monthly change in employment over the last year. Here is the data again: Kelehear asked, “The three months that showed drops in employment are interesting to consider…. The “Why” is at the heart of my curiosity, and are these months typically, historically, low employment months.” So, I dug back into the data that goes back to 1990, and here are the results: All months, except April, have shown increases in employment over the last

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B2B Stories

Is AI coming for your job?

In the past couple of years, there has been hardly a week that has gone by that ABD hasn’t reported about AI or cyber technology growth in the CSRA. In four days at the end of January, 1000 employers representing 14 million workers met with economic leaders at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Much of the discussion revolved around the WEF’s Future of Jobs report. The 94-page report highlighted the role of AI in reshaping industries and tasks across all sectors. Postal service clerks, executive secretaries, and payroll clerks

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B2B Stories

CSRA Businesses Focus on Finding the Future for Students

Just as ABD reported on North Augusta’s presentation for bridging the gap between business needs through apprentice programs, comes an expo sponsored by the Columbia County Chamber Foundation and the Columbia County School District. The goals for both are very aligned with CSRA employment needs. The expo focuses on exposing parents and students to career opportunities for the future. The initiative will align the educational, technical, and trade sectors with the businesses, showing parents and students the pathways to obtain a future quality career. Each company will list the main

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Job Jolts in the CSRA/Georgia

The Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) ended the year with another record employment level. In December, there were 248,400 people employed in the area, the highest on record. Six months in 2025 had record employment, and nine months saw month-on-month employment growth. It may have been ten without Hurricane Helene. Over the year, employment grew by 2,800, or 1.1%. One of my favorite podcasts is a BBC show called More or Less. They like to ask, “Is that a big number?,” in other words, what is the context or comparison?

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B2B Stories

$4.9 million Manufacturing Training Collaborative

A trio of mobile advanced manufacturing labs that will bring critical workforce training resources to rural areas across South Carolina were unveiled this week. The event at the William H. “Billy” O’Dell Upstate Center for Manufacturing Excellence in Greenwood was the result of a unique collaborative initiative between Piedmont Technical College, Aiken Technical College, and Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College. Funding for the mobile labs’ initiative came from a four-year, $4.9 million Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant provided by the U.S. Department of Labor. The purpose of the grant is to address

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B2B Stories

Governor Kemp outlines priorities for the 2025 Legislative Session

The 2025 legislative session is underway in Georgia and Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has laid out his agenda for business and education. Speaking at the annual Eggs and Issues Breakfast, sponsored by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Kemp pointed to policies that have the state ranked number one for business, according to a news release from his office. Kemp referred to the more than 193,000 jobs created in the last five years, along with $90 billion in private investments, thanks to the partnership with the state Chamber, as well as

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Consumer Stories

What happens after hiring an employee?

Much attention is given to the importance of education, training, and apprenticeships to build a workforce pipeline. After an individual is hired, another step comes into focus: mentoring. SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), a leader in providing experts, research, and advocacy on challenges in the current workplace, said mentorships can be “career-defining and life-changing” in shaping how mentees learn about their chosen field while also learning to network and nurture their career growth. However, SHRM finds mentorships benefit both groups involved. “Mentorship is a win-win situation,” says Adrienne Mitchell,

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Consumer Stories

Aiken County steps into the future of technology

Data centers are growing in size, location, and scope across the country, and Aiken County is feeling the impact. In late August 2024, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, announced it would build a center in Aiken County’s Sage Mill Industrial Park. Just three months later, Atlanta-based DC Blox said it would build a hyperscale edge node in North Augusta. Those centers are smaller and situated regionally to bring networking power closer to the end user. The North Augusta project is one of four announced by the

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Consumer Stories

List pinpoints “hot” jobs in CSRA and the state

Georgia now has a tool identifying what are and will be, the most in-demand jobs to fill current openings and create a workforce pool for the future. Called “Georgia’s High Demand Career List’, it was approved by the State Workforce Development Board, according to a news release from Gov. Brian Kemp (R). “As the number one state to do business for over a decade, maintaining our competitive edge remains a top goal for my administration and our partners in the legislature,” said Kemp. “Georgia’s High Demand Career List is our

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B2B Stories

Growing the workforce in Georgia and South Carolina

Governors in Georgia in the two-state area are both taking steps to develop the workforce to fill critical jobs for the future. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) recently announced a commission he created through the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). Kemp is chairman of the commission which includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. In a news release announcing the commission, Kemp said the goal is to work with leaders across the South to improve educational opportunities

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