The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent Augusta University.
Employment in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) grew in September to the highest level since April 2025.
Total number of employees grew to 254,500, up 300.
Large gains were seen in the government sector, up over 400, with most of those gains in local government. Federal government employment was up 100, but state was down 150. Leisure and hospitality had the second highest gain at 372. This sector has gained 1,000 workers since March. Professional and business services was the only other sector to see triple-digit gains at 150.
The main losses, besides state employment, were in mining, logging, and construction. This industry lost 100 workers in September and 6,700 workers since the peak in 2020.
A recent article in The Wall Street Journal described the effect of immigration raids on the housing market. 53 percent of roofers nationally are immigrant workers. Immigrants also make up 53% of painters, 43% of laborers, and 38% of helpers.
In Augusta, the number of painters declined by 30 between May 2024 and May 2025. Helpers fell by 60, but laborers increased by 120, and there was no change in roofers. It is hard to tell from the raw data if these changes are related to immigration raids. Moreover, the decline in local construction employment predated the change in immigration policy, and these recent changes have had minimal impact on construction wages.
In terms of how much this is affecting the local housing market, it is hard to tell. Data from Zillow on new construction mean sale price of houses in the MSA shows a pretty flat line, around $350,000 over the last 18 months.
