ARC recently released its employment estimates for 2009 and finds that the 20-county area lost more than 128,000 jobs between 2006 and 2009, as shown in the Regional Snapshot below. ARC’s 2009 employment estimate is for the first quarter of 2009. With the recession into its third year, the employment situation has continued worsen, and only recently has the picture begun to get somewhat brighter. To see how the economy has performed lately, read the latest issue of ARC's The Quarter.

The true value of ARC’s employment estimates, however, is the geographic detail of providing not only total employment, but also of providing the types of employment for small areas.

Employment Data Highlights

• Job losses for the decade (2000 - 2009) were concentrated in the core, with the "core" 10 counties losing more than 96,000 jobs, while the "external" 10 counties added nearly 57,000.
• For the last three years (2006 to 2009), Fulton (-29,000) and Gwinnett (-27,300) accounted for more than half of the core's job loss. 
• The high paying jobs are concentrated in the core counties, particularly Fulton (32 percent), Gwinnett (27.6 percent) and Cobb (26.2 percent)
• More recently, metro Atlanta is being hit hard by the national recession, with its eight percent employment decline between 2008 and 2010 ranking fifth among peer regions analyzed. (See the Snapshot to see which areas are included).

More Employment Data Resources

• Employment Data Tables (for the 20-county metro region - xlsx file)
• Job Sector Explanation (pdf)

Employment Maps

• Percent of Region's Total Employment, 2009 (pdf)
• Total Job Change, 2000 - 2009 (pdf)
• Where the top-paying jobs are, 2009 (pdf)
• Where the lowest-paying jobs are, 2009 (pdf)