Labor Shortages, A Thing of the Past? at Chamber’s Member Economic Luncheon

Augusta, GA (May 3, 2023) – Finding it challenging to decider the current labor market? Join the Augusta Metro Chamber on Wednesday, May 10 for the first Member Economic Luncheon of 2023 to hear from Dr. Pitts of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. The luncheon begins at 11:30 am at the Augusta Marriott.

In the past few years, the U.S. labor market has drastically changed. From unemployment, early retirements, entrepreneurs, and new generations of workers, we face new landscapes when it comes to the work force. To grasp a better understanding of our current labor market, Dr. Pitts will be discussing the current issues, trends, and that there is hope for our labor markets.

Guest speaker M. Melinda Pitts is the Research Center Director of the Center for Human Capital Studies (CHCS) in the research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Dr. Pitts is part of the applied microeconomics team. Her major fields of study are health and labor economics. She also contributes to the Atlanta Fed's macro-blog, which provides commentary on economic topics, including monetary policy, macroeconomic developments, and the Southeast economy. Prior to joining the Bank in 2002, Dr. Pitts was an assistant professor of economics at Georgia State University, in Atlanta. She also worked as an assistant professor of economics at Salisbury State University in Salisbury, Maryland.

Dr. Pitts has published in several journals, including Industrial Relations, the American Economic Review, Archives of Internal Medicine, and Research in Labor Economics. She is a member of the American Economic Association, International Health Economics Association, American Society of Health Economists, and the Society of Labor Economics. Dr. Pitts received her doctorate and master's degree in economics, both from North Carolina State University. She received her Bachelor of Arts in economics from Clemson University.

Tickets for the luncheon are $45 for Chamber members and $55 for prospective members. Purchase a corporate table of 8 seats at a discounted rate. Member Economic Luncheon series sponsors include Doctors Hospital, South State Bank, Uniti Fiber and Azalea Investments.  Technology sponsor is WOW! Business and parking sponsor is Ellefson Transportation Group. Media sponsors include News 12 NBC 26, The Augusta Chronicle and WJBF NewsChannel 6. Advanced registration is required at augustametrochamber.com. Deadline to register is Friday, May 5.