Georgia Chamber CEO delivers 2050 forecast on work force, industry, infrastructure

ALBANY – Georgia’s next 25 years will see explosive growth, new challenges and a rapidly changing work force, and Georgia Chamber President/CEO Chris Clark said local leaders must start planning now.

Georgia’s population is growing, and that population will be made up of a younger, more diverse work force that will face openings in key industries like health care, digital entrepreneurship, skill trades and technology. Clark shared this information during the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Government Affairs Rise N’ Shine Breakfast, which saw more than 150 state and local leaders in attendance to discuss policy priorities and economic outlook shaping Georgia’s future. 

Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, D-Dawson, and Rep. Gerald Greene, R-Cuthbert, also attended, hosting a panel discussion on priorities in the upcoming Georgia Legislative Session and issues impacting southwest Georgia businesses and communities. 

Both lawmakers said education, health care and school safety will be key legislative budget issues. Sims emphasized the importance of investment in literacy initiatives and the gap between school performance and graduation rates.

“Education is the great equalizer,” she said. “Without education, there is no economic development. There is no economic stimulation.”

Clark outlined five key focuses when discussing Georgia’s future: regional prosperity and healthy communities, infrastructure and energy, innovation and entrepreneurship, talent and work force, and competitiveness and economic development. 

He emphasized the talent and work force pillar.

Clark said Georgia is expected to add about 2.5 million residents over the next 25 years, though that number is lower than projections made before 2019 due to declining birth rates nationwide. 

He said population growth, which was once concentrated in metro Atlanta, is now spreading more evenly across the state as more rural and mid-sized areas work to recruit companies into their communities. 

However, Clark said Dougherty County faces a challenge as it continues to lose residents even as the number of local jobs has grown, with about 40% of the county’s work force commuting in from neighboring areas.

“You have the economic base,” he said. “We’ve just got to make sure that the people are here.”

Clark said that as Georgia’s population grows, its work force will undergo dramatic demographic shifts. Baby boomers currently make up about 18% of workers statewide, but all will reach retirement age by 2030, creating millions of job vacancies nationwide. Gen X represents about 23% to 25% of Georgia’s work force — slightly higher in Dougherty County — but will also begin retiring within a decade. Millennials, who make up 40% of Georgia’s workers, are underrepresented locally, while Gen Z now accounts for 33% of the state’s work force, a share that is growing quickly.

Clark urged businesses to rethink how they recruit and retain younger employees. He said communities like Dougherty County must focus on keeping college students and young professionals after graduation by understanding what motivates them and offering meaningful opportunities for growth.

“You don’t manage Gen Z — you coach them,” he said. 

Clark also emphasized the need to support women and diversity in the work force. He said women currently make up 53% of Georgia’s work force, and that figure is projected to rise to 56%. But affordable, quality child care remains a critical barrier to participation. 

Clark warned that the state will create about 3.1 million new jobs over the next 25 years, and that most will require education or training beyond high school. 

He said expanding technical education and apprenticeships is critical to closing that gap. Georgia could face 134,000 vacant health care jobs by 2032, he said, and the state continues to lack enough skilled tradespeople. 

Clark praised Albany’s Commodore Conyers College and Career Academy and its participation with the Chamber’s Georgia FLEX program for giving students real-world experience and entrepreneurial skills, calling it a “gold standard” for work force preparation. 

He also encouraged schools to maintain arts and creative programs, arguing that imagination and innovation are skills artificial intelligence cannot replace. 

Albany State University President Robert Scott acknowledged ASU as a critical component of the region’s economy. He said ASU has contributed $282 million and supported more than 2,666 jobs for the region since Fiscal Year 2004. 

“Albany State is a key driver of this region and this city’s economic engine,” Scott said. “ASU is growing, and just imagine what  that growth could look like for this city and this region if we collectively decide we want to hold hands and really push this university forward.”

Clark talked to The Albany Herald about the infrastructure and energy pillar.

He said Georgians need about 60% more energy than what is generated today and must spend about $84 billion in the next 25 years on infrastructure. 

Clark said energy and data centers are expanding into rural Georgia, offering property tax revenue but not many job opportunities. 

“Southwest Georgia is probably that next frontier for the data centers, and I would encourage economic developers and communities to really think about those, make those part of your plan, and just realize the incredible economic impact that they can have,” he said. “But, quite frankly, they don’t add to your traffic; they don’t add to your schools.”