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I have already reported that Augusta’s employment rebounded from Hurricane Helene in November, increasing by 800. But what about other labor market indicators? The unemployment rate increased for the eighth successive month to 4.8% in November, and the Sahm Indicator has been indicating a recession in Augusta for four months. The unemployment rate is the highest rate for all Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the State of Georgia. Record employment and increasing unemployment can be explained by the increase in the labor force. These are people that previously were not

The owners of this restaurant at the corner of Washington Road and Pleasant Home Road are still not able to re-open. It’s been more than three months since Hurricane Helene ripped off its roof. Whether there is serious or minor damage, organizers are calling all small businesses harmed by Hurricane Helene to attend an upcoming workshop and learn what help is available. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is organizing the Jan. 22 workshop. The workshop is organized with help from the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, the

The University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business came to Augusta with the economic outlook for 2025 nationally, across Georgia, and in metro Augusta. Dr. Benjamin Ayers, Dean of the Terry College of Business, called the report a good news forecast for Georgia. “We are predicting a slowdown, but not much, and we’re expecting a growth rate that will continue to be above our long-term trend rate in the state of Georgia,” he said. “Still should be a positive year in 2025. We’re expecting Georgia’s inflation-adjusted GDP (Gross Domestic Product)

In a news release you may have missed on December 20th, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported employment numbers for the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It also revised the numbers for when Hurricane Helene hit October. The numbers for October were revised from a net gain of 100 to a net loss of 700. The good news is that employment recovered in November, increasing by 800. November was another record month of employment at 248,000. 2024 saw six months of new record employment with December data still to come.

Governments across Georgia, including metro Augusta, are seeing proposals for multimillion-dollar projects requesting zoning and building permits. The projects are data centers, networked computer servers for remote storage, processing, or distribution of large amounts of data. Documents for a Development of Regional Interest (DRI) have been filed with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs showing a property on Gordon Highway has been earmarked for a data center by a company listed as Eagle South, LLC. The DRI identifies the name of the development as Project Eisenhower. Although no company has

Businesses and individuals trying to recover from Hurricane Helene’s destruction are facing deadlines to apply for assistance, and they are different in Georgia and South Carolina. The Palmetto State has the most immediate deadline. It is on January 7. That is the final date businesses, homeowners, renters, and nonprofits can apply for the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) low-interest disaster loans. Stephen Clark, SBA Public Affairs Specialist, provided ABD with the latest information on how and where to apply. Applications can be filed online at https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance. Clark said there are also