VOLUME 23 NUMBER 26
FREE
ocgnews.com
Published Since April 1995 Serving DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties
Georgia sets record for total jobs in August
State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Georgia set a record in August for total jobs, surpassing 4.5 million for the first time. Butler said other key indicators such as new unemployment claims, increasing workforce and the total number of employed residents showed Georgia’s economy continues to be strong. “The August numbers show Georgia’s economy and outlook for employment remains healthy,” said Butler. “This is a great time to live, work and invest in Georgia.” The August unemployment rate was unchanged from July at 4.7 percent. That compares favorably to last August when the rate was 5.3 percent. From July to August, Georgia gained 19,800 jobs, a 0.4 percent rise, which increased the total number of jobs to 4,510,200. Since August 2016, Georgia has gained 116,500 jobs, a 2.7 percent growth rate. The state is outpacing the national job growth rate of 1.4 percent. The top monthly job growth came in professional/business services, government and manufacturing. Seasonal job losses came in leisure and hospitality, 2,000. The total number of employed residents rose by 9,910 to 4,811,281 from July to August. There are 141,592 more Georgians employed now than in August 2016. “Georgia continues to be one of the leaders in job creation and employment,” Butler said. “It’s great to see our employers continue to create jobs. But it’s even better to see more Georgians going back to work.” Georgia’s year-over-year job growth came mostly in professional/business services, leisure and hospitality and trade, transportation and warehousing. Construction lost 1,500 jobs. At the same time, unemployment claims were down by 4,622 or 16.3 percent, to 23,803 – another good sign for Georgia’s economy. Manufacturing had the most claims last month. But August saw 3,500 fewer claims filed in that sector. Over the year, unemployment claims were down by 3,435, or 12.6 percent, from 27,238 in August 2016. Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com, showed 70,306 new job postings statewide for August.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2017
facebook.com/ocgnews
Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary welcomes Prime Minister of Cape Verde Mayor Jason Lary, left, presents a key to the city to Cape Verde’s Prime Minister Ulisses Correia Silva. The private reception for Silva included dignitaries and business owners and professionals from Stonecrest and metro-Atlanta. Photos by Glenn L. Morgan
Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary welcomed Prime Minister of Cape Verde, Ulisses Correia Silva, during a trade mission trip to the U.S. The Prime Minister visited the new city of Stonecrest on Sept. 20 to learn more about tourism and economic development. Cape Verde, which is located off the northwest coast of Africa, garnered its independence in 1975 from the Portuguese. The African nation’s officials said they were interested in Stonecrest, which has a population of 53,000, because its residents sought and attained self-governance and because of the city’s focus on economic development. “The two cities are similar in makeup and size. The visit was a learning experience for both of us,” said Mayor Lary. Silva visited the Startup Factory, which is helping entrepreneurs launch their businesses. The Startup Factory is located in the renovated space that was formerly Barnacle’s
restaurant. He also visited the Mall at Stonecrest’s management office and Stonecrest City Hall, Lary said. At a private reception that was held at the Allen Executive House on Evans Mill Road in Stonecrest, Lary presented the Prime Minister with a key to the city and a letter for Stonecrest to enter into a “Sister City” relationship Santo Antão, Cape Verde. “As we look to the future of this alliance, we envision a growing awareness and appreciation of each other’s culture as well as many cooperative activities that will be of mutual benefit to our communities,” Lary stated in the letter. Lary’s letter also stated the city would seek to develop a group comprised of entrepreneurs, leaders and the city’s economic development team to stablish the Sister City Committee to guide the partnership and prepare a plan for initial activities and exchanges.
Georgia extends deadline for SNAP recipients to report food loss in Hurricane Irma
G
eorgia residents who receive food stamps now have additional time to report food lost due to power outages during Hurricane Irma. Recipients of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) who were affected by Hurricane Irma have until Oct. 2 to file forms requesting a replacement for food lost during storm-related power outages. The Oct. 2 deadline allows recipients of SNAP, traditionally known as food stamps, 10 additional days to request a replacement of their benefits. The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services sought the deadline extension to help low-income families--many of whom were displaced from their homes for several days--feed their families as they recover from the effects of the storm. The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which oversees the food stamp program in Georgia, approved the state’s request early this week, allowing families additional time to report losses. Approximately 1.6 million Georgians rely on SNAP assistance to feed their families. “We know families are facing several challenges in the wake of Hurricane Irma, and we don’t want feeding their families to be one of them,” said Bobby Cagle, Director of the Division of Fami-
ly and Children Services. “We are grateful for the USDA’s support in our efforts to support Georgia families in their time of need, and we hope, by extending the deadline to report food losses, we will relieve at least some of the anxiety families are experiencing as they continue to recover from this storm.” The deadline extension is part of an ongoing effort by Georgia DFCS and FNS to support families affected by the hurricane. Ahead of the storm’s arrival, the Division worked with FNS to release all food stamp benefits for the month of September, which was an early release for most recipients in the state. DFCS has also requested assistance from FNS to provide a mass benefit replacement for recipients who live in counties that were most affected by the storm. That request, which would eliminate the need for some recipients to file paperwork to receive a replacement, is still
pending with FNS. Georgia DFCS has also worked to support utility companies as they focus on efforts to restore residents’ power. The Division has temporarily eliminated the need for recipients to go to utility companies to verify individual outages related to Hurricane Irma. In most situations where power outages cause food purchased with SNAP funds to perish, SNAP policy requires recipients to report the loss off food via a Food Loss Replacement Form (Form 841). Customers typically have 10 days after the loss to submit the form, which includes a verification of the outage by the recipient’s electricity provider, to their local DFCS office. Recipients whose food was lost in Hurricane Irma must submit the Food Loss Replacement Form (Form 841) in person or by mail to the local DFCS office no later than Oct. 2. The form does not need to be accompanied with verification from the utility company. To download Form841, visit https://dfcs. georgia.gov/food-stamp-benefits-replacement. For more information and updates, visit www.dfcs.georgia.gov or visit the DFCS Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gadfcs.