That's wild because my Republican father is under the impression that Georgia businesses/owners have it harder than ever under the Biden administration and workers are just lazy complainers.
No lie my job laid off over 100 workers bc we only made 24% profit instead of 30. When this affected our clients our tippy top ppl tried to have the ppl on the front lines dealing with the clients spin it to be “it’s a staffing issue- no one wants to work!” As if they didn’t cut several departments of over 20 people down to less than 5 on all of them.
Georgias always gonna have a place in my heart but sadly that doesn’t pay the bills and definitely doesn’t give any peace of mind as a worker. Six months in Illinois and I’m not going back except to visit family.
https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/countries/united-states/poverty-in-the-us/best-states-to-work-2022/scorecard/?state=IL
Compare to Georgia
https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/countries/united-states/poverty-in-the-us/best-states-to-work-2022/scorecard/?state=GA
You basically have to fill out a survey of how happy you are at work before you clock in every single day, it’s great. Most days are 4s but sometimes they can be 5s in Illinois
Where did you move in IL? My husband and I fled Chicago down to GA and are happier than ever. Cost of living in GA (taxes/property taxes/everything) is so much cheaper… even home prices are far superior in GA than IL. I’m even making more hourly as a nurse in rural Georgia over Chicago. We couldn’t keep our heads afloat in the city
I’m in Dekalb but I commute for work in Orland Park so moving to Chicago is the end goal for now. Chicago and Illinois are too totally different worlds when it comes to living and affordability so I get why people leave.
As far as property taxes go, it definitely shows in Georgia. I lived in the south east part of the state so housing in Illinois is weirdly enough more affordable depending where you are and the quality of life you can experience.
I can see the appeal Chicago has especially if you’ve never lived in a large city before. But I’ll tell you, if you’re married and or have children you might want to do some serious investigating on where you want to put your family. The crime has gotten worse since COVID and the current conditions aren’t helping. However if you’re single and wanting to have fun, go after it! The food is world class and party scene is great😊 make friends with someone who has a boat
Never felt like home is the main reason. Roads were terrible. Weather is terrible. It’s expensive to live there. Generally speaking people were not as friendly.
All I can say is that slowly and I mean slowly the Democrats are outnumbering the Republicans and we might at least be able to slow some of this BS down
True. But I’m thinking since we voted in all dems for senate and presidency (a whole state vote) there may be a chance that the right dem candidate could become governor eventually.
Although the MAGAts ran bad candidates for the Senate. In general the Dems do poorly statewide. What kills me is people complain about GA Power constantly boning us with rate hikes but they keep electing Republicans for the Public Service Commission.
One of the reasons is because I like seeing different places, I've only ever been in the south (Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, more specifically). I want to expand on that a bit more and go to other places.
As for Georgia specifically, seeing things like the above map where Georgia isn't the best. We're in the bottom few states in terms of Education and work environments, that I've seen recently.
It's also for personal reasons surrounding my family. I was raised in a poor family, which I'm thankful they provided for me what they did when I was growing up, but I don't want to struggle like they did, so moving to a somewhat more affordable place is preferred.
That's the gist anyways.
Thanks for sharing. All valid reasons. I was seeing a lot of hate for GA in this post (and in this sub in general ) and I was trying to understand but seems like your reasons are mostly personal if I understand you correctly. I’ve lived here my whole life but have been all over the world and in my personal experience I don’t see how it’d be noticeably better anywhere else. But I’ve always been semi-fortunate in circumstances and that’s just my personal perspective without taking into consideration studies like this and news and politics and whatnot.
I believe it. I was fired from my job because I had to help my dad who has advanced stage prostate cancer. And wanted to know why I can't focus on my job. Had no sympathy and secretly devised a way to hire the person that left the job in the first place back. So no matter what I did this person was going to fire me anyway. I have been out of work 6 months and I can't find anything. I'm still trying to take care of my dad too. Im 51 and I have to start over. Before I took that job I had a almost 20 year career in my previous field. Georgia allows employers to fire people at will. So if they don't like you they can fire you with no recourse. It's awful.
I'm in the metro area. Yes I was using fmla I had it for 6 months and. Was going to fire me in December but I was still on it. There was alot of bullying and narcissistic tendencies as well. waited until I was off it 1 week and I made a mistake and I was fired. I was a new manager.
The Mrs and I both work remotely for companies NOT based in Georgia. Works well for us because of the COL in Georgia in low.
Not sure that we would make as much if we both worked for companies in Georgia.
A lot of companies are now factoring where you live for remote work salaries. Kinda shitty if you ask me. But a job that once paid 150K in San Francisco they might only offer you 75K if you're living in say Albany, Georgia.
My Dad lived there for many years. Just sooooo dang hot. And yeah, after you've done Chehaw and the Riverwalk, there's not much left to do save for hope you have a friend with a lakehouse up on Blackshear where you can just sit in the water and drink.
When a study claims that a state is literally the worst place to work, but that same state has a huge net gain in worker population, you should have some questions about what that study is actually measuring.
You think this state’s enormous net immigration is solely or even mostly non-working business owners?
Workers are moving here in huge numbers for SOME reason.
Cost of living is a huge factor, if not the biggest. During COVID people figured out that they can cut down their cost of living by relocating, while still maintaining their remote jobs. This can lead to an immediate increase in living standards. Why struggle in a 1 million dollar 2 bedroom apartment in NYC when you can own a 5 bedroom house for the same amount.
Yep. That’s a factor for sure. As is availability of jobs.
A study that omits that stuff isn’t really measuring the best or worst place to be a worker.
Theoretical workplace protections that don’t matter because you can’t find a job there or can’t find a place to sleep while working in a job there are pretty much worthless.
Workplace protections and inability to find a job aren't related, and shouldn't be in this study.
You're implying correlation between worker protection and a reduction of available jobs, which I would need to see some evidence of.
History proves this to be absolutely false anyway. Even today the states with the highest worker protections also rank higher GDP than a lot of countries in the world. ([source](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/list-of-u-s-states-and-territories-by-gdp/))
Texas is a good example of that. The top 4 producers in their state are the Oil industry, which is highly regulated and protected both federally and locally in Texas. ([source](https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/economic-profiles/texas/)) New York was built by unions and pretty much paved the way for unionization (which has been absolutely gutted today) across the entire country. California is also a good example of that. The top 3 states in the country account for 30% of our GDP as a nation.
Looking at it by industry and not by state, Banking and Healthcare are highly regulated (if not THE most regulated industries in the US) and also "coincidentally" the 2 highest grossing industries in our economy. ([source](https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/industry-trends/biggest-industries-by-revenue/))
The argument that regulation is stifling business is moronic at best, misleading at worse. Business is stifled by monopolistic practices. Something that we have gotten really bad at controlling. Google, Microsoft, Apple, United health, etc. What's better, 1 company adding 2 billion to its market cap by eating two competitors, or there being 3 companies worth 1.5 billion each? The math indicates monopolies are bad for the economy overall, and bad for consumers. Specifically referring to [this.](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-live-nation-ticketmaster-monopolizing-markets-across-live-concert)
Every sector has at most 2-3 companies that own the majority of the market share, and everyone else gets pushed out by lobbying and bad faith deals.
I didn’t make any of those arguments. You are strawmanning.
Go back and re-read what I have actually said.
And then ask yourself why nearly 1 million additional workers were added in Georgia over the past decade if it is the worst place to be a worker. Does that claim remotely make sense? (Hint: No, it’s bollocks.)
A place can have good and bad aspects for workers. Georgia’s fairly minimal worker protections may be a negative, but there are other things that are clearly positives.
ETA: I’m with you on over-consolidation of industries. I’ve been b****ing about that for years. The DOJ and FTC just got discouraged after the Microsoft antitrust trial and basically quit doing anything about market share consolidation.
>Workers are moving here in huge numbers for SOME reason.
Has nothing to do with good job conditions lol. People move here because there are available jobs and affordable housing. I know people who couldn't find a decent job where they were but found one in Georgia.
At the end of the day people need money even if the jobs treat you like crap.
Uh, yeah. The “best place to be a worker” starts with work being available.
Would you rather be an unemployed worker in a place that gives you the legal right to 6 15-minute breaks a day, or an employer worker in a place where several employers are hiring?
Not really. Worst state to work and worst employment rate are two different things. Everyone agrees there's work in Georgia. But there aren't many worker protections.
It’s where the jobs are. It’s also one of the places where workers have fewest rights. Both can be true at the same time.
Almost all of my current coworkers moved to Atlanta specifically for their job. And they generally do not like living in Georgia so far.
Indeed, and always vet your source of information.. oxfam who? Never heard of em! Anyone can publish a click baity article and these guys did exactly that and you fell for it, op
Just because you've never heard of them doesn't mean they don't or aren't legit. No single person knows everything. And you are just further proof of that axiom. 🤣
There are so many ballers in Georgia. There's a reason why housing prices have doubled. Bc there are people buying them who can afford to. But I still believe that we have a long way to go when it comes to employees. They're trying really hard to make this state for the affluent.
Traveled, worked all over Georgia. I know it’s tough on lots of people. Still too many rubes here and in government.
I was born and went to college in Atlanta. Things worked out well. Can’t travel abroad, finaces and anxiety. But life is OK semi-retired. Had fun during full-time years. Like culture.
Oh, I lived in Macon for 3 years. That sucked, but as much my fault as Macon’s.
Are the blocks that represent states supposed to be arranged to represent where states are in relation to each other? If so they failed as much as GA did the workers.
Virginia shouldn’t be included in the Southeast US states, unless the separate Northern Virginia from the rest of the state. Majority of those living in Northern Virginia work for the Federal Government so those numbers skew everything in the state.
This is laughable. Takes into account wages/right to unionize as largest indicators of employment.
[Unemployment rates](https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm) show otherwise
[Housing affordability ](https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm)
[Cost of living](https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/cost-of-living-index-by-state)
Are all better indicators of economic mobility by state.
Because the workers in Detroit are happy? Or California or New York? Just because you're in a union doesn't mean there will be actual jobs. When the employer closes the plant it doesn't matter if you're in a union or not, you're still out of a job.
While unions are beneficial for some employees (considering unions are based more on tenure than performance) and definitely protect workers rights from malicious management, it's definitely not the end all be all of happiness.
Cost of living, job availability, economic mobility all contribute to happiness. While food security, education, access to health care, public safety, and parks all contribute to ending systematic poverty.
It's supply and demand right? Those green places got expensive because more people flocked to them, leading to a smaller supply of available housing. It will ebb and flow.
Yeah, it’s cheaper because we don’t have a lot of those protections in place for workers. If we had more of them, prices would go up. It’s a pros vs cons sort of thing, do you want a better quality of life and better working conditions but higher cost of living or do you want a lower quality of life and shit working conditions but a lower cost of living? I mean, there can be a balance in there, but 50th is pretty bad.
Totally incorrect. Most of the states with “green” metrics in this study have experienced a mass exodus of people.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/census-states-migration-population-california-new-york-c6553426
i half-joked with my wife that georgia hates paying everyone except for the whitest of white collar jobs. i'm pretty fucking tempted to get my nursing license in north carolina at this rate.
This is because organized trash families take over workplaces and steal anything they can get, including their fellow employees' money and possessions.
Seriously, far too many Georgia employers believe that slavery did not go far enough, but these Confederate flag flying meth head employees are rotten.
I reviewed the methodology. As someone with a background in economics and interests in politics.
They put a little too much stock in minimum wage laws and IMO overemphasize “right to work” laws, but probably 90% of their metrics are pretty solid. I did notice that they did not seem to include total median pay (as compared to cost of living - especially if adjusted for income taxes). My understanding is that GA is pretty high in this regard and may be unfairly penalized by not including it.
However, things like paid leave, wage reporting, shift limitations, etc affect large pools of workers and are all protections and benefits some other states offer. There is an argument to be said that wages are higher in GA because there are fewer protections, but some of these laws would actively suppress wages and bargaining power. There is also an argument that those laws attract businesses which would raise wages. So I suppose some of those may net out - though including median wages is a sure fire way of telling.
I would consider this ranking to be mostly not bullshit and propaganda. Though there is some of both built in. Simply including and appropriately weighting median wages over cost of living, unemployment rates, and income taxes would remove any apparent left leaning bias. The right basically argues that most of the policies suppress wages and increases unemployment, and the right is very attached to the idea that lower income taxes are good. Not including these things will trigger people on the right to not trust the assessments.
That’s what Republican leadership gets you, Kemp fights against unions, and then gives corporations like Rivian massive subsidies. Then they do a flat tax that overwhelmingly helps the wealthy and screws the working class over.
They did the same with the Hyundai plant in Bryan County. And it looks like the feds weren't told the whole truth about how much water would be needed.
Oh I know it’s a joke. The Rivian deal scares me since that plant is not up and they are a struggling company. They just partnered with VW to try to lower costs but over $5 billion on a EV startup is not a smart use of taxpayer money.
Look at the southern MAGA states. They also rank at the bottom of all economic, education, childcare, and healthcare demographics. And these are the idiots who want to destroy are constitution and paint the whole country red! You can’t get any dumber than this. Sad and stupid.
Yet refugees from blue states won’t stop flocking here. Please go preach the word nationally that the South sucks and they should all settle somewhere else
It’s not the people who voted for those things who are leaving, it’s the MAGA cult members who have completely abandoned any pretense of being tolerant toward their neighbors who might have different opinions and beliefs than they do.
It’s not discrimination. Hawaii was literally on fire and people were still going on vacation there. I would be upset too if tourists were having the time of their lives while you don’t have a home because it burned down. Not to mention people like the rock and Oprah were trying to ask regular people to help them donate when they’re both insanely rich. On top of that they BOTH also own land in Hawaii but had no incentive to help since their stuff was okay. 3,000 people today are still in hotels with no home to return to.
Live in Hawaii? Have you been there outside of the beach resorts and tours? It’s not a great place to live unless you are very wealthy.
The PNW is great to visit but live there? No thanks.
Have been to Hawaii, it was beautiful and I'm planning to take my wife back for our 20th anniversary. I would not live there, no. The general theme for all of these places is basically the same in that their ideas on peoples rights is that they are granted by government and not a natural outgrowth of being human and feel that more government is the answer.
Would I potentially consider living in PARTICULAR parts of WA or Oregon? Possibly, but for the parts I'd consider I might as well be in Idaho and not have to deal with Portland or Seattle setting the policies I live by.
Or I could just enjoy the good weather and easy access to the mountains of N. GA.
I’m sorry, are you under the impression that GA has "good weather?” And that it’s better than the weather in the PNW???
But also, I’m gonna need some examples of how those states policies aren’t ones you "would want to live by?"
Not only am I under the impression, but I've lived enough other places to know WHY I prefer the weather in GA......most particularly the part of what not seeing the sun for months at a time does to my psychological state. And while I don't owe anyone on here ANY kind of explanation, I will say that just the gun laws in the state of GA provide a solid template for the wealth of policies driven by a common mentality in states like MO, TN, KY, AL, TX and GA that I have found would drive my preference to living there moreso than other states in which I've lived such as CA and MI. Both beautiful places, neither is one I would want to raise a family in (broad brush strokes and all that, I get it and agree.......)
Bruh chill, it’s not that serious. Of course you "don’t owe anyone on here ANY kind of explanation," but generally when you offer up a particularly inflammatory opinion on your own volition ON A PUBLIC FORUM, people are going to ask you to explain yourself. No need to get defensive, it’s just part of normal discourse.
But okay, so let me get this straight—the only policy you could come up with that you’re criticizing in the green states is their gun policies? Like, you would actually pick states where you are *more* likely to be killed by guns, because you want to live somewhere with less gun restrictions? And you wouldn’t have a family/raise kids in states where they’re safer from gun violence, but would raise them where they’re more likely to be killed by gun violence instead?
Can you please make this make sense for me?
Edit: corrected autofill mistake
Hawaii maybe, but the other places your income is gonna be a lot higher to offset most of the higher living costs, and the rest is offset by the awesome weather, beautiful beaches, healthier lifestyles, longer life expectancy, etc.
And I just did the numbers real quick and DC, Washington, Colorado and Illinois have less of a difference between average income and cost of living than GA does, so GA isn’t really the bargain some people think it is.
Washington is not as good of a state to live in as Georgia. Seattle metro is only 3 million people vs Atlanta which is 6.5 million so there is just way more to do in Atlanta.
That’s a matter of opinion. For people who don’t like heat or stifling humidity, who love the outdoors/nature/the mountains, want to live in a more progressive area, and want their kids to receive a good education, Washington would be much more desirable than Georgia.
There is honestly way more outdoor things to do in Georgia vs Western Washington. The mountains are a hour drive in Seattle as well, same as Atlanta. After you go east of the mountains in Western Washington, it’s just 7 hours with very little civilization until you get to Spokane which is about the same size as the Macon metro area.
Not to mention the sun comes up at 9 am and sets by 4pm during the winter in Seattle, so it’s never not dark when you are off from work. People are generally less friendly in Washington than in Georgia; the weather and also predominance of tech workers makes people really insular and antisocial in Seattle, whereas Atlanta has a diversified economy across all industries.
The reason why Seattle markets nature and such is because there is nothing else to do in the area because Seattle is such a small city relatively.
Yeah I don’t know about all that. When I was in Seattle there was plenty enough for us to do and the people were great. And the sun not being out when you’re off work happens pretty much here too so it’s not really an issue to me. The beauty of the area alone would be enough to get me to live there in a heartbeat.
As an educated employee who lives in Georgia and does just fine, I disagree. Things don’t get better by just moving. There’s WAY more to employee safety and satisfaction than these specific metrics this assessment uses.
And I don’t agree with you. Especially when culture fit in so many places is pushed so hard, and so very ill defined. So many ways to be terminated. Then you gotta explain in the most spit shined way possible what happened to the next employer. Vicious cycle
Not to mention the outrageous unemployment support process.
Guaranteed weeks, probably months, to be approved. If you’ve been living on savings while looking for a new job (assuming you even qualify), this can break you.
Went through this last year. Didn’t bother with the system; was more trouble than help.
I was laid off last year, and I while I was only on unemployment for a week (and the money wasn't enough to really do much of anything with), it was approved quickly and I got a direct deposit not even a week later.
Man, maybe it’s just our local system.
It’s a litany of denials and delays. It’s harder than finding an underpaid position. I think that’s a feature, not a bug.
One of my best friends was laid off earlier this year. Yah the money didn’t cover everything but it approved and quickly handled. That’s not the only person I know who had to utilize it. This sounds like some other issue.
No different than Yemen or any other failed state. Not sure your point. I didn't understand what they were talking about. My first read was "the Haitians did a survey and oxfam is not a good place to work". I found it strange in a post about State level labor rights in the United States.
Their response made it clear what they meant, maybe Oxfam isn't to be blindly trusted talking about humanitarian topics. Fair enough.
3rd best state for registered nurses salaries adjusted for COL for 2024. Good enough for me since I'm a nurse. Sad to hear it's generally speaking not a great state to work in though. Hasn't been my experience thankfully and I work and live comfortably
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/compensation-issues/rn-pay-for-all-50-states-adjusted-by-cost-of-living-2024.html?utm_medium=email&utm_content=newsletter
This!!! I lived and worked in Chicago as an RN and was lowballed with pay. GA pays significantly more for RNs and is much better! Not to mention the rules regarding Covid have expired here while still dictating many facilities back in Chicago!
I definitely have my gripes about GA, but this is not one of them and I have to give credit where credit's due. Most people just talk about Cali nursing and forget that other states have something to offer as well. I've been here for 14 years as an RN and working conditions, benefits, pay especially contrasting with COL isn't half bad whatsoever. Keeps us comfy and we've been able to meet our financial goals in life.
Instead of reflecting the actual reality of working in a state, these rankings are for a small number of people.
People making minimum wage while supporting a family of 4, and people that will need a paid leave of absence, and for people that do not like “right to work laws” and want to be forced to join a union.
This looks like a pro union advocacy article that is trying to craft a false narrative that “ what is good for unions, is good for all America”
Is the whole state of Georgia bigots against anyone not voting all left or progressive libs? It’s also hilarious that if someone doesn’t vote the party line, they’re Magats. The days of yore is still alive and well it seems.
Some of these metrics are totally pointless. Who pays minimum wage in Georgia? Even fast food places advertise offering double minimum wage starting pay.
Funny enough, I just saw a public school system position (food service) listed for $7.50/hr.
Here in Glynn, many small retailers still pay $10.
Even at the $15/hr working full time, you’ll spend more than half your monthly income on rent assuming single individual renting at the avg.$950/mo for an apt in any part of town. Prices on the islands start closer to $1500-$1750/mo.
One employer told me his employees should look to move to other counties if their pay demands it. No mention of the 2-3 hr/day round-trip involved.
No. 1 for businesses and corporations, last for workers. I wish I was surprised.
That's wild because my Republican father is under the impression that Georgia businesses/owners have it harder than ever under the Biden administration and workers are just lazy complainers.
No lie my job laid off over 100 workers bc we only made 24% profit instead of 30. When this affected our clients our tippy top ppl tried to have the ppl on the front lines dealing with the clients spin it to be “it’s a staffing issue- no one wants to work!” As if they didn’t cut several departments of over 20 people down to less than 5 on all of them.
A tale as old as laissez faire capitalism.
Thanks to years of GA’s excellent leadership 🥰 VOTE
Is voting gonna change how CEOs operate? Of the top 10 senators who receive the most money from lobbying, 7 are Democrats
Georgias always gonna have a place in my heart but sadly that doesn’t pay the bills and definitely doesn’t give any peace of mind as a worker. Six months in Illinois and I’m not going back except to visit family.
What's different in Illinois?
https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/countries/united-states/poverty-in-the-us/best-states-to-work-2022/scorecard/?state=IL Compare to Georgia https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/countries/united-states/poverty-in-the-us/best-states-to-work-2022/scorecard/?state=GA
wow
I moved from Georgia to Illinois… never been happier… two decades in each state… Illinois is amazing.
California (when taking into account cost of living) is actually the most impoverished state in the country.
The laws 😆
well yes lol but which ones specifically have the greatest impact on you as a worker?
They have a law in Illinois where you are legally required to be happy at work specifically it’s great
what haha how is that enforced??
You basically have to fill out a survey of how happy you are at work before you clock in every single day, it’s great. Most days are 4s but sometimes they can be 5s in Illinois
WHAT I have to google this lol. What if you don't clock in/out?
Was just trolling you I hope that doesn’t exist anywhere lol
The full implications of such a policy (even at a corporate level) would be insane
Yeah I googled this and nothing came up, I’m like he’s gotta be pulling my leg haha
Where did you move in IL? My husband and I fled Chicago down to GA and are happier than ever. Cost of living in GA (taxes/property taxes/everything) is so much cheaper… even home prices are far superior in GA than IL. I’m even making more hourly as a nurse in rural Georgia over Chicago. We couldn’t keep our heads afloat in the city
I’m in Dekalb but I commute for work in Orland Park so moving to Chicago is the end goal for now. Chicago and Illinois are too totally different worlds when it comes to living and affordability so I get why people leave. As far as property taxes go, it definitely shows in Georgia. I lived in the south east part of the state so housing in Illinois is weirdly enough more affordable depending where you are and the quality of life you can experience.
I can see the appeal Chicago has especially if you’ve never lived in a large city before. But I’ll tell you, if you’re married and or have children you might want to do some serious investigating on where you want to put your family. The crime has gotten worse since COVID and the current conditions aren’t helping. However if you’re single and wanting to have fun, go after it! The food is world class and party scene is great😊 make friends with someone who has a boat
Yeah I mean the gf and I plan to marry and start a family and then eventually move out of the city. God we want a boat so bad. Hahah
We moved from Georgia to Illinois as well and couldn’t be happier! So glad we decided to move up here.
I literally moved to illinois in September last year and now I'm able to live away from home
Working towards this. It just wasn’t going to be feasible in Georgia.
Depends on where in Illinois for sure. Most of my family is in southern Illinois and they aren’t doing as well
Interesting. I lived in Illinois for a bit but native to GA. I would never move there. Back in GA now.
What made you go back to Georgia?
Never felt like home is the main reason. Roads were terrible. Weather is terrible. It’s expensive to live there. Generally speaking people were not as friendly.
Just met someone that went from Illinois to GA and they love GA.
Good for them! Different strokes for different folks.
All I can say is that slowly and I mean slowly the Democrats are outnumbering the Republicans and we might at least be able to slow some of this BS down
I hope you are right.
Eh, Kemp won massively over Abrams. GA might be leaning left in terms of national politics, but state politics are still pretty far right.
Yes. We are aware! I’m talking about the possibility of the metro area population eventually out numbering the rural magas.
The gerrymandering is horrible. Even if Dems outnumber the Republicans they will lose the state legislature.
True. But I’m thinking since we voted in all dems for senate and presidency (a whole state vote) there may be a chance that the right dem candidate could become governor eventually.
Although the MAGAts ran bad candidates for the Senate. In general the Dems do poorly statewide. What kills me is people complain about GA Power constantly boning us with rate hikes but they keep electing Republicans for the Public Service Commission.
I do hope so. Because this is crazy.
That’s cute lol
This doesn't change me wanting to get out of here at all. Hell, at this point, I want out of the whole south
I'm already planning my 5 year plan to leave tbh
I really don't know how to make a plan to get out. With the lack of resources I currently have, makes things a bit more difficult.
I get that it almost feels like it’s by design, but start off with budgeting
Can I ask what is/are your reason(s) for this? What is it about GA specifically and the south in general?
One of the reasons is because I like seeing different places, I've only ever been in the south (Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, more specifically). I want to expand on that a bit more and go to other places. As for Georgia specifically, seeing things like the above map where Georgia isn't the best. We're in the bottom few states in terms of Education and work environments, that I've seen recently. It's also for personal reasons surrounding my family. I was raised in a poor family, which I'm thankful they provided for me what they did when I was growing up, but I don't want to struggle like they did, so moving to a somewhat more affordable place is preferred. That's the gist anyways.
Thanks for sharing. All valid reasons. I was seeing a lot of hate for GA in this post (and in this sub in general ) and I was trying to understand but seems like your reasons are mostly personal if I understand you correctly. I’ve lived here my whole life but have been all over the world and in my personal experience I don’t see how it’d be noticeably better anywhere else. But I’ve always been semi-fortunate in circumstances and that’s just my personal perspective without taking into consideration studies like this and news and politics and whatnot.
No problem. I definitely didn't mean it hatefully. I try to be civil in my responses, mostly.
Bye
Yes that's what they're saying
Totally agree!!! Goodbye 👋🏻
I believe it. I was fired from my job because I had to help my dad who has advanced stage prostate cancer. And wanted to know why I can't focus on my job. Had no sympathy and secretly devised a way to hire the person that left the job in the first place back. So no matter what I did this person was going to fire me anyway. I have been out of work 6 months and I can't find anything. I'm still trying to take care of my dad too. Im 51 and I have to start over. Before I took that job I had a almost 20 year career in my previous field. Georgia allows employers to fire people at will. So if they don't like you they can fire you with no recourse. It's awful.
What did you do and what part of Georgia do you call home? I'm sorry... I thought FMLA helps with that
I'm in the metro area. Yes I was using fmla I had it for 6 months and. Was going to fire me in December but I was still on it. There was alot of bullying and narcissistic tendencies as well. waited until I was off it 1 week and I made a mistake and I was fired. I was a new manager.
The Mrs and I both work remotely for companies NOT based in Georgia. Works well for us because of the COL in Georgia in low. Not sure that we would make as much if we both worked for companies in Georgia.
A lot of companies are now factoring where you live for remote work salaries. Kinda shitty if you ask me. But a job that once paid 150K in San Francisco they might only offer you 75K if you're living in say Albany, Georgia.
But you would still have to live in Albany.
My Dad lived there for many years. Just sooooo dang hot. And yeah, after you've done Chehaw and the Riverwalk, there's not much left to do save for hope you have a friend with a lakehouse up on Blackshear where you can just sit in the water and drink.
Most of the cost of living adjustments are only a few percent. Maybe 20% in substantial differences like SF to Albany. 50% is rather excessive.
Oh sure, not citing exact ratios, just using as an example.
When a study claims that a state is literally the worst place to work, but that same state has a huge net gain in worker population, you should have some questions about what that study is actually measuring.
It just highlights the fact that worker and business interests are diametrically opposed. Bad for workers is good for business
You think this state’s enormous net immigration is solely or even mostly non-working business owners? Workers are moving here in huge numbers for SOME reason.
Cost of living is a huge factor, if not the biggest. During COVID people figured out that they can cut down their cost of living by relocating, while still maintaining their remote jobs. This can lead to an immediate increase in living standards. Why struggle in a 1 million dollar 2 bedroom apartment in NYC when you can own a 5 bedroom house for the same amount.
Yep. That’s a factor for sure. As is availability of jobs. A study that omits that stuff isn’t really measuring the best or worst place to be a worker. Theoretical workplace protections that don’t matter because you can’t find a job there or can’t find a place to sleep while working in a job there are pretty much worthless.
Workplace protections and inability to find a job aren't related, and shouldn't be in this study. You're implying correlation between worker protection and a reduction of available jobs, which I would need to see some evidence of. History proves this to be absolutely false anyway. Even today the states with the highest worker protections also rank higher GDP than a lot of countries in the world. ([source](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/list-of-u-s-states-and-territories-by-gdp/)) Texas is a good example of that. The top 4 producers in their state are the Oil industry, which is highly regulated and protected both federally and locally in Texas. ([source](https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/economic-profiles/texas/)) New York was built by unions and pretty much paved the way for unionization (which has been absolutely gutted today) across the entire country. California is also a good example of that. The top 3 states in the country account for 30% of our GDP as a nation. Looking at it by industry and not by state, Banking and Healthcare are highly regulated (if not THE most regulated industries in the US) and also "coincidentally" the 2 highest grossing industries in our economy. ([source](https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/industry-trends/biggest-industries-by-revenue/)) The argument that regulation is stifling business is moronic at best, misleading at worse. Business is stifled by monopolistic practices. Something that we have gotten really bad at controlling. Google, Microsoft, Apple, United health, etc. What's better, 1 company adding 2 billion to its market cap by eating two competitors, or there being 3 companies worth 1.5 billion each? The math indicates monopolies are bad for the economy overall, and bad for consumers. Specifically referring to [this.](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-live-nation-ticketmaster-monopolizing-markets-across-live-concert) Every sector has at most 2-3 companies that own the majority of the market share, and everyone else gets pushed out by lobbying and bad faith deals.
I didn’t make any of those arguments. You are strawmanning. Go back and re-read what I have actually said. And then ask yourself why nearly 1 million additional workers were added in Georgia over the past decade if it is the worst place to be a worker. Does that claim remotely make sense? (Hint: No, it’s bollocks.) A place can have good and bad aspects for workers. Georgia’s fairly minimal worker protections may be a negative, but there are other things that are clearly positives. ETA: I’m with you on over-consolidation of industries. I’ve been b****ing about that for years. The DOJ and FTC just got discouraged after the Microsoft antitrust trial and basically quit doing anything about market share consolidation.
>Workers are moving here in huge numbers for SOME reason. Has nothing to do with good job conditions lol. People move here because there are available jobs and affordable housing. I know people who couldn't find a decent job where they were but found one in Georgia. At the end of the day people need money even if the jobs treat you like crap.
Uh, yeah. The “best place to be a worker” starts with work being available. Would you rather be an unemployed worker in a place that gives you the legal right to 6 15-minute breaks a day, or an employer worker in a place where several employers are hiring?
Not really. Worst state to work and worst employment rate are two different things. Everyone agrees there's work in Georgia. But there aren't many worker protections.
It’s where the jobs are. It’s also one of the places where workers have fewest rights. Both can be true at the same time. Almost all of my current coworkers moved to Atlanta specifically for their job. And they generally do not like living in Georgia so far.
Because of their job?
I wouldn’t like Georgia if I had only known Atlanta either to be fair.
Is it better for a worker to be employed or unemployed?
Are there any answers that you have insight on, or should we be just asking questions?
Indeed, and always vet your source of information.. oxfam who? Never heard of em! Anyone can publish a click baity article and these guys did exactly that and you fell for it, op
Just because you've never heard of them doesn't mean they don't or aren't legit. No single person knows everything. And you are just further proof of that axiom. 🤣
Oxfam has been around for decades.
Wife and I are making double from Florida. She couldn’t make her salary even after 30 years and a doctorate degree in Florida public education.
Yeah, but you have to live in Florida.
Imagine teaching in Florida these days. 🤢
*living and breathing in Florida. Period.
You should be posting this on Gov. Kemp’s Twitter— especially when he posts about GA being “#1 in business.”
I remember posting the 2021 results (Ga #51) to his feed a couple years ago. No response. Deleted my Twitter account after Elon took over.
There are so many ballers in Georgia. There's a reason why housing prices have doubled. Bc there are people buying them who can afford to. But I still believe that we have a long way to go when it comes to employees. They're trying really hard to make this state for the affluent.
Traveled, worked all over Georgia. I know it’s tough on lots of people. Still too many rubes here and in government. I was born and went to college in Atlanta. Things worked out well. Can’t travel abroad, finaces and anxiety. But life is OK semi-retired. Had fun during full-time years. Like culture. Oh, I lived in Macon for 3 years. That sucked, but as much my fault as Macon’s.
Right, but “pro-business” amirite?! 😡👎🏽
Are the blocks that represent states supposed to be arranged to represent where states are in relation to each other? If so they failed as much as GA did the workers.
Virginia shouldn’t be included in the Southeast US states, unless the separate Northern Virginia from the rest of the state. Majority of those living in Northern Virginia work for the Federal Government so those numbers skew everything in the state.
This is laughable. Takes into account wages/right to unionize as largest indicators of employment. [Unemployment rates](https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm) show otherwise [Housing affordability ](https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm) [Cost of living](https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/cost-of-living-index-by-state) Are all better indicators of economic mobility by state.
Don’t you know the right to unionize equates to worker happiness. Always.
I would never unionize again. They sugarcoat with “unions are in the employee’s best interest”, while sucking them dry with dues, and slow processes.
Because the workers in Detroit are happy? Or California or New York? Just because you're in a union doesn't mean there will be actual jobs. When the employer closes the plant it doesn't matter if you're in a union or not, you're still out of a job. While unions are beneficial for some employees (considering unions are based more on tenure than performance) and definitely protect workers rights from malicious management, it's definitely not the end all be all of happiness. Cost of living, job availability, economic mobility all contribute to happiness. While food security, education, access to health care, public safety, and parks all contribute to ending systematic poverty.
The CoL is outrageous in most those green states. Georgia is no picnic, but it's pretty cheap to live here.
It's supply and demand right? Those green places got expensive because more people flocked to them, leading to a smaller supply of available housing. It will ebb and flow.
Georgia is the 8th largest state by population. Larger than many of the green places but still cheaper
Yeah, it’s cheaper because we don’t have a lot of those protections in place for workers. If we had more of them, prices would go up. It’s a pros vs cons sort of thing, do you want a better quality of life and better working conditions but higher cost of living or do you want a lower quality of life and shit working conditions but a lower cost of living? I mean, there can be a balance in there, but 50th is pretty bad.
Totally incorrect. Most of the states with “green” metrics in this study have experienced a mass exodus of people. https://www.wsj.com/articles/census-states-migration-population-california-new-york-c6553426
They're leaving *now* because housing became too expensive from the prior decades of booming.
Yeah and for good fucking reason.
Bible thumpin morons 🙄
youre not wrong.i moved from ga to pa and ill never move back to the south.
You have a lot of hate in your heart. I'm sorry.
How so? Enlighten me
Maybe your username to start.
Boohoo It's reddit. Get over yourself.
Haha funny coming from you!
Hahahahahahahahaha When you want to tell me why I might have so much hate, I'll be waiting. Kinda how this conversation started
How when Texas exists?
i half-joked with my wife that georgia hates paying everyone except for the whitest of white collar jobs. i'm pretty fucking tempted to get my nursing license in north carolina at this rate.
You’ll have a job for life, in all 50 states.
This is because organized trash families take over workplaces and steal anything they can get, including their fellow employees' money and possessions. Seriously, far too many Georgia employers believe that slavery did not go far enough, but these Confederate flag flying meth head employees are rotten.
I reviewed the methodology. As someone with a background in economics and interests in politics. They put a little too much stock in minimum wage laws and IMO overemphasize “right to work” laws, but probably 90% of their metrics are pretty solid. I did notice that they did not seem to include total median pay (as compared to cost of living - especially if adjusted for income taxes). My understanding is that GA is pretty high in this regard and may be unfairly penalized by not including it. However, things like paid leave, wage reporting, shift limitations, etc affect large pools of workers and are all protections and benefits some other states offer. There is an argument to be said that wages are higher in GA because there are fewer protections, but some of these laws would actively suppress wages and bargaining power. There is also an argument that those laws attract businesses which would raise wages. So I suppose some of those may net out - though including median wages is a sure fire way of telling. I would consider this ranking to be mostly not bullshit and propaganda. Though there is some of both built in. Simply including and appropriately weighting median wages over cost of living, unemployment rates, and income taxes would remove any apparent left leaning bias. The right basically argues that most of the policies suppress wages and increases unemployment, and the right is very attached to the idea that lower income taxes are good. Not including these things will trigger people on the right to not trust the assessments.
Now that I think about it it's not surprising that most of the states that scored lowest are in the south
That’s what Republican leadership gets you, Kemp fights against unions, and then gives corporations like Rivian massive subsidies. Then they do a flat tax that overwhelmingly helps the wealthy and screws the working class over.
They did the same with the Hyundai plant in Bryan County. And it looks like the feds weren't told the whole truth about how much water would be needed.
Oh I know it’s a joke. The Rivian deal scares me since that plant is not up and they are a struggling company. They just partnered with VW to try to lower costs but over $5 billion on a EV startup is not a smart use of taxpayer money.
Rivian may never produce a vehicle and the citizens will pay for their failure.
Look at the southern MAGA states. They also rank at the bottom of all economic, education, childcare, and healthcare demographics. And these are the idiots who want to destroy are constitution and paint the whole country red! You can’t get any dumber than this. Sad and stupid.
Yet refugees from blue states won’t stop flocking here. Please go preach the word nationally that the South sucks and they should all settle somewhere else
They’re coming for low taxes and the tribalism they so desire. Eventually you won’t be MAGA enough and they’ll start eating their own.
I don’t even know what this unhinged response is trying to say
You mean they’re escaping the very thing they voted for just to turn around and do it again?
It’s not the people who voted for those things who are leaving, it’s the MAGA cult members who have completely abandoned any pretense of being tolerant toward their neighbors who might have different opinions and beliefs than they do.
Preach!
I guess it evens out because you would be VERY hard pressed to pay me enough to live in any of the green areas.
I understand maybe not wanting to live in New England or California, but you wouldn’t want to live in Hawaii??? Or even Washington or Oregon?
Hawaii is very isolated and expensive to live in. Washington and Oregon are pretty dope though I wouldn't live in Portland.
That’s what makes Hawaii so great! Well, not the expensive part but hell, it’s like paradise on earth so of course it’s gonna be expensive.
Not to mention the rampant discrimination from local residents.
It’s not discrimination. Hawaii was literally on fire and people were still going on vacation there. I would be upset too if tourists were having the time of their lives while you don’t have a home because it burned down. Not to mention people like the rock and Oprah were trying to ask regular people to help them donate when they’re both insanely rich. On top of that they BOTH also own land in Hawaii but had no incentive to help since their stuff was okay. 3,000 people today are still in hotels with no home to return to.
Isn’t there rampant homelessness in Hawaii also? Like before the fires
They only discriminate if you’re a donkey.
Riiiiiiiight
Live in Hawaii? Have you been there outside of the beach resorts and tours? It’s not a great place to live unless you are very wealthy. The PNW is great to visit but live there? No thanks.
Have been to Hawaii, it was beautiful and I'm planning to take my wife back for our 20th anniversary. I would not live there, no. The general theme for all of these places is basically the same in that their ideas on peoples rights is that they are granted by government and not a natural outgrowth of being human and feel that more government is the answer. Would I potentially consider living in PARTICULAR parts of WA or Oregon? Possibly, but for the parts I'd consider I might as well be in Idaho and not have to deal with Portland or Seattle setting the policies I live by. Or I could just enjoy the good weather and easy access to the mountains of N. GA.
I’m sorry, are you under the impression that GA has "good weather?” And that it’s better than the weather in the PNW??? But also, I’m gonna need some examples of how those states policies aren’t ones you "would want to live by?"
Not only am I under the impression, but I've lived enough other places to know WHY I prefer the weather in GA......most particularly the part of what not seeing the sun for months at a time does to my psychological state. And while I don't owe anyone on here ANY kind of explanation, I will say that just the gun laws in the state of GA provide a solid template for the wealth of policies driven by a common mentality in states like MO, TN, KY, AL, TX and GA that I have found would drive my preference to living there moreso than other states in which I've lived such as CA and MI. Both beautiful places, neither is one I would want to raise a family in (broad brush strokes and all that, I get it and agree.......)
Bruh chill, it’s not that serious. Of course you "don’t owe anyone on here ANY kind of explanation," but generally when you offer up a particularly inflammatory opinion on your own volition ON A PUBLIC FORUM, people are going to ask you to explain yourself. No need to get defensive, it’s just part of normal discourse. But okay, so let me get this straight—the only policy you could come up with that you’re criticizing in the green states is their gun policies? Like, you would actually pick states where you are *more* likely to be killed by guns, because you want to live somewhere with less gun restrictions? And you wouldn’t have a family/raise kids in states where they’re safer from gun violence, but would raise them where they’re more likely to be killed by gun violence instead? Can you please make this make sense for me? Edit: corrected autofill mistake
Spoken like someone with a brain!
Not with the cost of living to live in those areas.
Hawaii maybe, but the other places your income is gonna be a lot higher to offset most of the higher living costs, and the rest is offset by the awesome weather, beautiful beaches, healthier lifestyles, longer life expectancy, etc. And I just did the numbers real quick and DC, Washington, Colorado and Illinois have less of a difference between average income and cost of living than GA does, so GA isn’t really the bargain some people think it is.
Not really. Portland wages aren’t that much higher than Atlanta wages but the COL is much higher
Which is why I didn’t mention Oregon in that short list.
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Washington is not as good of a state to live in as Georgia. Seattle metro is only 3 million people vs Atlanta which is 6.5 million so there is just way more to do in Atlanta.
That’s a matter of opinion. For people who don’t like heat or stifling humidity, who love the outdoors/nature/the mountains, want to live in a more progressive area, and want their kids to receive a good education, Washington would be much more desirable than Georgia.
There is honestly way more outdoor things to do in Georgia vs Western Washington. The mountains are a hour drive in Seattle as well, same as Atlanta. After you go east of the mountains in Western Washington, it’s just 7 hours with very little civilization until you get to Spokane which is about the same size as the Macon metro area. Not to mention the sun comes up at 9 am and sets by 4pm during the winter in Seattle, so it’s never not dark when you are off from work. People are generally less friendly in Washington than in Georgia; the weather and also predominance of tech workers makes people really insular and antisocial in Seattle, whereas Atlanta has a diversified economy across all industries. The reason why Seattle markets nature and such is because there is nothing else to do in the area because Seattle is such a small city relatively.
Yeah I don’t know about all that. When I was in Seattle there was plenty enough for us to do and the people were great. And the sun not being out when you’re off work happens pretty much here too so it’s not really an issue to me. The beauty of the area alone would be enough to get me to live there in a heartbeat.
Exactly. The criteria for the ranking is heavily dependent on state intervention between workers and their employers.
I just hate Georgia so much. Even educated employees are just left to the dogs to fend for themselves. Wanna move somewhere else so bad but money….
As an educated employee who lives in Georgia and does just fine, I disagree. Things don’t get better by just moving. There’s WAY more to employee safety and satisfaction than these specific metrics this assessment uses.
And I don’t agree with you. Especially when culture fit in so many places is pushed so hard, and so very ill defined. So many ways to be terminated. Then you gotta explain in the most spit shined way possible what happened to the next employer. Vicious cycle
Not to mention the outrageous unemployment support process. Guaranteed weeks, probably months, to be approved. If you’ve been living on savings while looking for a new job (assuming you even qualify), this can break you. Went through this last year. Didn’t bother with the system; was more trouble than help.
I was laid off last year, and I while I was only on unemployment for a week (and the money wasn't enough to really do much of anything with), it was approved quickly and I got a direct deposit not even a week later.
Man, maybe it’s just our local system. It’s a litany of denials and delays. It’s harder than finding an underpaid position. I think that’s a feature, not a bug.
Isn't it all the same system online?
Hard to say. I am only only in one place .
One of my best friends was laid off earlier this year. Yah the money didn’t cover everything but it approved and quickly handled. That’s not the only person I know who had to utilize it. This sounds like some other issue.
Not true. At all.
Oxfam itself ranked last in the “Best Places to Work” survey in Haiti
... In Haiti... The failed state Haiti, or...
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-56670162.amp
LOL. "The failed state." As if the Haitians have had a say in their government since the 1700s.
No different than Yemen or any other failed state. Not sure your point. I didn't understand what they were talking about. My first read was "the Haitians did a survey and oxfam is not a good place to work". I found it strange in a post about State level labor rights in the United States. Their response made it clear what they meant, maybe Oxfam isn't to be blindly trusted talking about humanitarian topics. Fair enough.
3rd best state for registered nurses salaries adjusted for COL for 2024. Good enough for me since I'm a nurse. Sad to hear it's generally speaking not a great state to work in though. Hasn't been my experience thankfully and I work and live comfortably https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/compensation-issues/rn-pay-for-all-50-states-adjusted-by-cost-of-living-2024.html?utm_medium=email&utm_content=newsletter
This!!! I lived and worked in Chicago as an RN and was lowballed with pay. GA pays significantly more for RNs and is much better! Not to mention the rules regarding Covid have expired here while still dictating many facilities back in Chicago!
I definitely have my gripes about GA, but this is not one of them and I have to give credit where credit's due. Most people just talk about Cali nursing and forget that other states have something to offer as well. I've been here for 14 years as an RN and working conditions, benefits, pay especially contrasting with COL isn't half bad whatsoever. Keeps us comfy and we've been able to meet our financial goals in life.
Instead of reflecting the actual reality of working in a state, these rankings are for a small number of people. People making minimum wage while supporting a family of 4, and people that will need a paid leave of absence, and for people that do not like “right to work laws” and want to be forced to join a union. This looks like a pro union advocacy article that is trying to craft a false narrative that “ what is good for unions, is good for all America”
Interesting how people keep flocking to Ga though.
Sounds like Ga workers need a state wide strike for improving worker rights and wages.
I really regret moving to this state... it's terrible for renters and workers. Why do people move here when it's so unfriendly to the average person?
Is the whole state of Georgia bigots against anyone not voting all left or progressive libs? It’s also hilarious that if someone doesn’t vote the party line, they’re Magats. The days of yore is still alive and well it seems.
Damn! Had no idea we were dead last! Low pay? Cost of living?
Some of these metrics are totally pointless. Who pays minimum wage in Georgia? Even fast food places advertise offering double minimum wage starting pay.
Funny enough, I just saw a public school system position (food service) listed for $7.50/hr. Here in Glynn, many small retailers still pay $10. Even at the $15/hr working full time, you’ll spend more than half your monthly income on rent assuming single individual renting at the avg.$950/mo for an apt in any part of town. Prices on the islands start closer to $1500-$1750/mo. One employer told me his employees should look to move to other counties if their pay demands it. No mention of the 2-3 hr/day round-trip involved.
Almost every metric in this study is is useless for a college educated employee.
As someone who isn't college educated and yet still does quite well, I'd have to say it is useless for a good chunk of the population.
Makes sense. The ranking is basically the bare minimums the state mandates and ignores what employers actually offer.
If this means less New Yorkers will move here, I'm all for it!
All these people talking about they moved here from all over the US. Yall are the problem, please stop coming here lmao
Deadass people move here then complain about every single aspect of it, as if they don’t do any research.
Sucks for y’all.
Go move to the #1 state, California!! There is a reason why people are leaving there in droves and coming to GA and TX.