Georgia experts blame federal government at least partly for state’s inflationary woes

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Jul 13, 2022

Georgia experts blame federal government at least partly for state’s inflationary woes

Georgia isn’t immune to the highest inflation in decades, and local pundits say the federal government is at least partly to blame.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 1.3% in June and 9.1% over the last 12 months. Both increases are seasonally adjusted.

Meanwhile, Erik Randolph, the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s director of research, said the country might not have even reached peak inflation, and federal lawmakers should consider a new approach to fix inflation.

“This new inflation reading ranks among the worst monthly inflation rates in U.S. history, and the worst in recent history,” Randolph said in a statement. “We have to go back to March 1980 — the last year of the [President Jimmy] Carter administration — to find a higher monthly inflation rate.

“The bottom line is that we may not have reached peak inflation, and there’s no telling how long the price level crisis will persist,” Randolph added. “Meanwhile, the rhetoric from the White House and Congress will do little to rectify the situation. There needs to be new thinking within the Washington Beltway.”

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Georgia nonprofit: New labor numbers show Georgia is benefitting

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Jul 12, 2022

Georgia nonprofit: New labor numbers show Georgia is benefitting

New data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that total nonfarm payrolls nationwide increased by 372,000 jobs in June, a higher-than-expected increase. At the same time, the national unemployment rate remained at 3.6%.

A Georgia nonprofit says the real story is found at the state level, as many workers are opting to leave many states for places like the Peach State.

“The job numbers are seen as positive overall, but the real story is at the state level where economically free states are performing so much better than more restrictive states,” Erik Randolph, the director of research for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, said in a statement.

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Gwinnett Coalition celebrates work of Gwinnett Cares effort during COVID-19 pandemic

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Jul 11, 2022

Gwinnett Coalition celebrates work of Gwinnett Cares effort during COVID-19 pandemic

Gwinnett community leaders recently came together to mark the accomplishments of the Gwinnett Cares effort during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, more than 10,000 people facing eviction and homelessness have been helped by HomeFirst Gwinnett and its partners, and $75 million has been spent to help more than 21,000 residents who faced the possibility of their utilities being disconnected. HomeFirst Gwinnett Director Matt Elder also highlighted the construction of 117 new affordable housing units. The Georgia Center for Opportunity’s Better Work Gwinnett program also worked to addressed unemployment, which spiked to about 15% during the pandemic but was eventually reduced to about 2.1%.

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Georgia’s unemployment rate now stands at a record low of 3.0%

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Jun 20, 2022

Georgia’s unemployment rate now stands at a record low of 3.0%

Key Points

Georgia is one of 14 states to fully recover from pandemic-related job loss.
States with severest lockdown are still struggling.
There’s been a decline in labor force participation.

Georgia’s unemployment rate now stands at a record low of 3.0% in May, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released on Friday.

The Georgia Center for Opportunity’s (GCO) take: “Georgia is now one of only 14 states in the U.S. that have fully recovered from pandemic-related job loss,” said Erik Randolph, GCO’s director of research. “The states that imposed the severest lockdown measures due to COVID-19 are still struggling, and likely will be for months to come. All told, Georgia is in excellent company as one of the top states in job recovery. That being said, it’s important to remember that unemployment rates can be misleading. Since the pandemic, we’ve witnessed an acceleration of the decline in the labor force participation rate. Particularly concerning is the persistent problem of prime-working-age males being absent from the labor force. The number is estimated to be around 250,000 men in Georgia in 2021. A major policy goal in our state must be efforts to reengage this men in the labor force.”

GCO honored to be listed on Atlas Network’s top 10 to watch in 2022

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Feb 2, 2022

GCO honored to be listed on Atlas Network’s top 10 to watch in 2022

The Georgia Center for Opportunity team is honored to be named as one of the Atlas Network’s top 10 nonprofit partners to watch in 2022. Atlas acknowledges GCO as an organization working “to make the world a better place for countless everyday people.”

Atlas’ designation focuses on our work to ensure that Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) are passed into law during the current session of the Georgia Legislature. These would allow public school funds to be used for private school tuition. Quoting Atlas:

Coming out of the pandemic and its devastating effects on educational outcomes, GCO sees the expansion of educational choice as more important and more achievable than ever before. With that perspective in mind, their campaign will push for the implementation of a sweeping educational savings account program in Georgia. These programs are an effective way of providing parents the financial means to choose the best educational option for their children, restoring hope, dignity, and prosperity.

The Success Sequence provides an outline of how to reverse the cycle of poverty in our communities. GCO uses this as a framework for much of our work.

Who is the Atlas Network

The Atlas Network is a nonprofit organization that seeks to secure for all individuals the rights to economic and personal freedom through its global network of strategic partners.