Georgia recruits 30,309 jobs in the past year

Economic development agency lands record $6.3 billion of investments


              In this photo provided by the Georgia Port Authority, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal speaks in front of the container ship COSCO Development at the Port of Savannah, Friday, May 12, 2017, in Garden City, Ga. The ship is the largest vessel ever to call on the U.S. East Coast. (AP Photo/Georgia Port Authority, Stephen Morton)
In this photo provided by the Georgia Port Authority, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal speaks in front of the container ship COSCO Development at the Port of Savannah, Friday, May 12, 2017, in Garden City, Ga. The ship is the largest vessel ever to call on the U.S. East Coast. (AP Photo/Georgia Port Authority, Stephen Morton)

Georgia economic recruiters helped bring more than $6.3 billion of new business investment to the Peach State during the fiscal year ended June 30, Gov. Nathan Deal said today.

Deal said 377 companies expanded or relocated to Georgia during fiscal 2017 and those investments are projected to add 30,309 jobs.

"Georgia has consistently been named the No. 1 state for business as companies from around the world continue to choose Georgia to relocate their headquarters or expand operations," Deal said today during a visit to the new Honeywell North American Software Center in Atlanta. "Once companies plant roots here in Georgia, they seem to grow at impressive rates, thanks in part to the business-friendly climate we have carefully cultivated and our highly skilled workforce."

Today's announcement follows last week's selection of Georgia as the top state for business by Area Development magazine. The executive publication, which covers corporate site selection and relocation, named Georgia the No. 1 state for business in its 2017 Top States for Doing Business rankings, a distinction Georgia has now earned for the fourth consecutive year.

The magazine ranking is based upon a recent survey that asked site consultants to provide their top state picks in 12 categories related to companies' location and facility planning. In addition to being the top overall state for business, Georgia ranked No. 1 for workforce development programs, and cooperative and responsive state government.

In the past fiscal year, the Georgia Department of Economic Development said businesses already located in Georgia accounted for 59 percent of total jobs created (17,865 of 30,309) and 58 percent of overall investment ($3.7 billion). Companies new to Georgia created 12,444 jobs and generated $2.64 billion in investments.

Among the new businesses, 86 were foreign direct investments, creating more than 6,000 jobs from $1.6 billion in investment.

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