On Friday, August 6th, Darlene Lynch, Chair of the Business & Immigration for Georgia (BIG) Partnership, and Daniela Perry, Vice President with the Georgia Chamber Foundation joined MAX to review how immigrants have and continue to play a vital role in Georgia’s economic growth. These organizations have teamed up to address the regulatory barriers that prevent many foreign-born individuals from utilizing their skillsets and fully participating in the state’s economy.
Here are some telling stats they shared regarding our foreign-born neighbors in Georgia:
- Georgia is home to 1,064,448 immigrant residents (1-in-10 Georgians are foreign-born, bringing skills and talents from around the world.)
- Georgia is home to 81,567 immigrant entrepreneurs that employ 205,962 employees.
- Nearly 1/2 of Georgia’s foreign-born are naturalized U.S. citizens eligible to vote in Georgia.
- More than 60,000 of the state’s foreign-born came to the state as refugees, leaving behind jobs as doctors, scientists, teachers, police, and more due to war and conflict.
- Foreign-born Georgians account for 1-in-7 workers, 1-in-5 doctors and home health aids, 1-in-5 STEM professionals, 1-in-4 farming, fishing, and forestry workers; 1-in-3 construction workers; and 1-in-3 owners of main street businesses.
Perry and Lynch shared how their organizations, the Georgia Chamber and the BIG Partnership, are working to reduce barriers through the Georgia Chamber’s Global Talent Initiative and the Global Talent Study Committee underway through the Georgia House of Representatives.
Special thanks to MAX board member Rob LeBeau, Manager of the Workforce Solutions Group at Atlanta Regional Commission and Director of the Atlanta Regional Workforce Board, for hosting the session.
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ABOUT MAX MINUTES
Launched in 2014, the mission of MAX is to advance economic competitiveness in the Atlanta region by strengthening connections, collaborations, and practices among workforce developers and organizations engaged in workforce development.
Through our webinar series, MAX Minutes, MAX seeks to bring timely insights to providers, intermediaries, and other partners in workforce. MAX Minutes features talks by key experts in the Atlanta region and beyond on important workforce matters.