In the national-outlook section of the Selig Center for Economic Growth’s Georgia Economic Outlook 2003, economist Jeffrey Humphries predicts, barring certain pitfalls, that “moderate growth will be sustained.”

The outlook for Georgia begins this way: “The outlook for 2003 indicates that the ongoing recovery will gradually become more broadly based, but that the state’s economy will remain vulnerable to an unpredictable shock.” The forecast also notes that “manufacturers will be hiring again in 2003,” predicting a 1% gain. Primary reasons for the improved outlook include: “Global economic growth, somewhat less excess capacity in many manufacturing subsectors, decreased competition from imported goods (due to the weaker dollar), the continued migration of auto manufacturers and parts suppliers to the region, and rising markets for many manufactured products.”

These charts, with the most recent confirmed figures available, show that manufacturing remains vital to Georgia’s economy.

Manufacturing Appreciation Week Attracts Record Participants Georgia’s technical college system has always engaged in partnerships that support Georgia’s existing and new manufacturers through our development and delivery of the workforce training that manufacturers require to keep the sector strong and successful. Because we understand the importance of manufacturing, we helped found Georgia’s Manufacturing Appreciation Week. This year’s Manufacturing Appreciation Week Governor’s Awards Luncheon, the ninth annual, was the largest ever, with 1,300 attending. Shown below (l-r) are the winners: Lee Container Corporation (small manufacturer) Roy Rhodes, quality systems manager and President Don Lee; Kubota (large manufacturer) Hank Kawasaki, VP of administration; Governor Perdue; President John Shiraishi; Mike Vincent, VP of manufacturing; Ike Korogi, VP of new products; and Rockwell Automation (medium manufacturer) Robert Murphy, director of operations, Dublin; and Steve Eisenbrown, senior VP of the Automation Control and Information Group.

* Georgia Department of Labor ** U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

Want to know more? Visit www.dol.ga.us for information about manufacturing and other industries with county-by-county totals.