Prior to Masters, the leisure and hospitality space lost 1500 jobs over a few months.
In general, employment in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area continued to fall in March, shedding 200 jobs.
Private education and health services continued to add jobs, with another 200 added in March. Over the last year, this sector has added over 2,200 jobs, while the overall employment level has only increased by 200, confirming this sector as the major driver of employment growth nationally and locally. Locally, employment in private education and health services has increased by 5.7% over the last year compared to 2.3% nationally. Locally, private education and health services represent 16.2% of total employment compared to 17.5% nationally. So, although we think of Augusta as having a large healthcare base, there is still room to grow.
In the national April jobs data released on May 1st, there were big gains for retail, transport, and utilities. Although we will not get local April numbers for a while, the March data support this nationwide trend. Both sectors saw gains of about 150 jobs, suggesting strong consumer expenditures.
Mining, logging, and construction lost 200 jobs while professional and business services lost 175 jobs.
