Labor chief: ‘Strong local strategies’ key to labor market growth

Understanding local labor needs, now and in the future, and partnerships between civic and business leaders and the education system will be key to sustainable growth in the state’s job market, Georgia’s labor chief says. 

“Communities need to have a detailed understanding of what their labor force looks like, what their economic profile looks like,” said Barbara Rivera Holmes, the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Labor, during a recent conversation. “And not just today. What are the trends? What is the forecast? Where is it going? Develop a strategy and the tools to make those gains. [You have to] align education to the economy.”

Rivera Holmes, an Albany resident, has helmed the department since April and has an extensive background in economic development, having served as the vice president of economic development for the Albany-Doughterty County Development Authority and CEO of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce. 

Georgia has been named the No. 1 state for business for 12 straight years by Area Development magazine while the state’s unemployment rate has remained under 4 percent, and the national unemployment rate, for a year or longer, and has seen rapid economic expansion, but much work can be done to ensure that the workforce in Georgia’s rural areas sees sustainable growth. 

One such initiative is the Georgia’s High Demand Career List, which breaks down in-demand jobs statewide and by region. The lists, authorized by Georgia House Bill 982 and first released late last year, are broken down in the same data blocs used by the Department of Labor. The resource aims to help the state’s technical college system, university system and economic development leaders meet labor demands through planned, coordinated education.

“We’re encouraging our communities to review those lists and ensure they are positioned to best take advantage of where the high demand growth is for their region,” Rivera Holmes said. “Tailor their education to the economy.” 

Health science jobs dominate the list for the Heart of Georgia region, which includes Laurens County. Oconee Fall Line Technical College and Middle Georgia State University have partnered with Fairview Park Hospital and the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center to create programs to quickly train the next generation of nurses and other healthcare professionals. Manufacturing is also in high demand, with large-scale employers, like Korean auto part maker Hwashin beginning to staff its Dublin facility. 

“When people see opportunities for themselves in their communities they will invest in the community and they will stay in the community,” Rivera Holmes said. 

The labor department is also keeping a close eye on the ongoing government shut down. Georgia is home to more than 110,000 federal workers, with more than 10,000 of those in the 12th Congressional District, which includes Laurens County, according to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. 

Rivera Holmes said the department is working to connect affected workers to available resources. 

“The longer the federal shutdown lingers, the more unemployment claims that we’ll see,” she said. “Right now it’s the furloughed workers, but when our federal workers start missing paychecks, you will see those numbers grow at a faster clip.”

Going into the fall Georgia reported an unemployment rate of 3.4 percent. The local rate was slightly higher, with 4.1 percent of Laurens County workers unemployed in August, according to the latest department of labor data. That’s about 800 workers in a labor force more than 19,200 strong. However, the local unemployment rate is down from 4.4 percent in July.