High unemployment rate underscores economic meeting

By Charles Edwards

Atlanta, GA – It's an understatement to say Georgians desperately need jobs.

The state's unemployment rate climbed to double digits last month.

On Tuesday, some of Georgia's top business leaders tried to put the numbers in perspective.

A while back, there was a meeting between the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Department of Economic Development. It was focused on companies. Specifically, brining new ones to Georgia and getting old ones to expand. Each group does that separately but the recession spurred partnership.

That meeting was last December when Georgia's unemployment rate was 7-point-5 percent. Today, it's 10-point-1 percent. The highest in Georgia history. Time to call another meeting. Sam Willams is President of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

WILLIAMS: "What we want to do is reassure the citizens and the folks that are looking for jobs that the economic development organizations throughout this state are working closer than ever as a team."

So, while you're looking for a job, a number of recruiters and staffers are looking too. Ken Stewart is Georgia's Economic Development Commissioner.

STEWART: "They wake up every morning thinking, "Where's the next new job? Where's the next new investment? Where am I going to find that for communities all over the state?"

Georgia's jobless rate was about 6 percent in June of last year and has never looked back. However, Stewart says it could be worse.

STEWART: "The reality is that our unemployment level of 10.1% is better than most Southeastern states."

6 Southern states have higher unemployment rates than Georgia. Last year, metro Atlanta companies created 54 hundred new jobs. Metro Chamber's Sam Williams says companies have created more than 3 thousand jobs so far this year.

WILLIAMS: "So we are doing better than we thought we would do and I think it's also a sign what companies in other parts of the country think about Georgia and metro Atlanta."

Williams and others also tout a recent survey by the television network CNBC. It shows no other state has better quality workers than Georgia.