One well-known food distribution company is helping to create new
jobs in Atlanta.
General Mills recently announced its plan to construct a $42 million distribution facility, a move that will create 112 jobs in
Walton County. It took the company 18 months to select a site for the new project. General Mills considered more than 175 miles of space throughout 24 counties.
General Mills is the world's sixth-largest food company and makes such products as
Cheerios,
Betty Crocker and
Haagen-Dazs. The company, with the assistance of
Doughtie, Nichols and Schnur, chose the
Rockefeller Group for the development asignment.
"It is my understanding that this new built-to-suit facility will be one of the largest distribution centers ever built in the United States that meets the
LEED certification standards for a green building," Doughtie said. "It is certainly the largest LEED certified distribution building ever built in the
Atlanta market and in the Southeast."
The
City of Social Circle, Walton County and the
State of Georgia worked together to bring the new project to Atlanta. The project will help the area's declining construction industry and
increasing unemployment rate.
During April, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta area's unemployment rate stayed at 9.1 percent. The area had a total non-farm employment of 2,322,100 workers during April, according to the United States Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 2,323,800 workers during March and a 5.1 percent decrease from last year.
The
construction industry employed 107,100 workers during April, 108,800 workers during March and a 17.9 percent decrease from last year.
Labels: Jobs in Atlanta
Despite that fact that 600
jobs in Atlanta were created in October, the city's unemployment rate continued to rise, according to a recent press release put out by the
Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL). Last month 6.8 percent of the metro area's residents were without work, which is a 0.4 percent increase from September and 2.4 percent higher than the jobless rate of October 2007.
This increase was mirrored throughout the state, as Georgia's unemployment rate climbed to 7.0 percent. GDOL statistics show that this figure was up 0.6 percent from September and 2.5 percent from last year's 4.5 percent jobless rate. Currently, unemployment in the state is the highest it's been in the last 16 years.
"Georgia's economy continues to suffer from increasing job losses and rising unemployment," said Michael Thurmond, who is the State Labor Commissioner. "I commend out state's congressional delegation and President Bush for approving extended unemployment insurance benefits for the more than 90,000 Georgians who may be eligible under the new law. This is welcomed and much-needed financial assistance, as they search for new jobs."
The addition of approximately 600
Atlanta jobs last month couldn't help the situation much. Since last year, the metro area has lost somewhere around 44,800 positions. Throughout the state, approximately 61,300 jobs during the last 12 months. According to Thurmond, those claiming unemployment benefits have increased by around 75 percent since last year.
One of the largest contributors to state's problem is the real estate market, which has been bogged down with too many houses for sale and too fewer buyers. The high rate of foreclosures has made things even more difficult. This industry has caused trouble for many other areas of employment including construction and manufacturing.
Experts expect that the situation will get worse before it gets any better. Unemployment rates are likely to continue to rise into next year. The average jobless rate for next year will likely by somewhere around 7.5 percent and many believe that it will end up somewhere around 8 percent during 2010, according to the
Georgia State Economic Forecasting Center.
Labels: Jobs in Atlanta
