Georgia's Economy Remains Relatively Healthy For Now

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Signs point to a healthy economy across the state, according to a report released Wednesday by Georgia State University's economic forecasting center. / Flickr

Signs point to a healthy economy across the state, according to a report released Wednesday by Georgia State University's economic forecasting center.

Job growth has been the main factor in improving Georgia's economic health according to Rajeev Dhawan, the director of the center. But he expects that growth to slow down.

"This year, we were better than last year," Dhawan said. "Ninety-thousand jobs in Georgia versus 72 or so last year. But the issue is going forward. We are now in a maturing business cycle which means the growth rate will moderate."

Despite the 50,000 jobs the project promised, Dhawan said he believes Atlanta "dodged a bullet" in not being selected for Amazon's second headquarters.

"We just didn't have enough people to give to Amazon what they want," he said. 

The talent the tech giant needed, would've pulled from other companies and hurt established businesses Dhawan conteneded. 

He also weighed in on Atlanta's Gulch deal. The project to develop the 40-acre hole downtown that will provide almost $2 billion in public funds. 

"If this deal had been done in Atlanta in 1965, as a proportion of the economy, it would have been a way bigger deal," he said.

But Dhawan argued Atlanta's economy is very large now and he won't be sold on the deal until he starts to see actual construction and movement take place.