Georgia Department of Economic Development Releases Governor’s High Demand Career Initiative Report

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Last week, the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), in collaboration with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, released the Governor’s High Demand Career Initiative Report. Over the course of 13 meetings with various companies throughout Georgia, GDEcD was able to detect several key trends among Georgia’s most prominent industries.

 According to the report, the careers in highest demand in Georgia include mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, welding, software development, computer programming and manufacturing among other predominantly STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professions. The skills and attributes that are in highest demand in Georgia were soft skills, mathematics, work ethic, customer focus, project management, robotics, analytic and problem solving skills.

 Employers also expressed concern for a shortage of skilled trade workers. These employers stated that they recruit for these positions outside of Georgia. Employers also expressed interest in introducing STEM career fields to students at a younger age while also placing a greater emphasis on the development of STEM skills.

The report also states that nearly every employer interviewed for the study said soft skills, such as the ability to effectively communicate, teamwork, problem solving, intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and work ethic, are vital to the success of their companies. These employers said soft skills are lacking in today’s younger employees in Georgia.

  Click HERE to view the Governor’s High Demand Career Initiative Report.