Georgia outlook positive for 2019

Stock market gyrations aside, the next year should be a good one for the Georgia economy, according to the annual forecast by the University of Georgia Terry College of Business.

Job gains may be more modest than this year’s, but the state’s population is growing, defense spending is surging, and home building should soon be gearing up.

Benjamin Ayers, dean of the University of Georgia’s business school, said every one of the state’s metro areas and every business sector will see growth, he predicted.

” Georgia’s economy will continue to expand and will also grow faster than the nation’s economy for the sixth straight year,” he said. “Absent a full-blown trade war, we believe the risk of recession in 2019 is low.”

Among the companies planning projects that will drive growth in the upcoming year are SK Innovation, adding 2,000 jobs in Jackson County; Inspire Brands, add 1,100 jobs in Sandy Springs, and Blackrock, adding 1,000 jobs in Atlanta.