Category: 3. Business

The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that Georgia’s unemployment rate for November 2025 was 3.5%, up slightly from a revised 3.4% in September. November’s unemployment rate remained 1.1 percentage points below the national unemployment rate. One year ago, Georgia’s unemployment rate was 3.6%. October 2025 data is unavailable due to a lapse in federal appropriations related to the federal government shutdown.

“In November, Georgia’s unemployment rate remains more than a full point below the national average, and we’re seeing job growth in sectors that matter most to hardworking Georgians,” said Georgia Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes. “As we head into 2026, we’re staying focused on what keeps Georgia competitive: Preparing workers, supporting businesses, and delivering opportunity across our state.”

After three straight months of job losses, jobs were up 1,000 over the month to 4,987,500 and were up 16,300 over the past 12 months.

In November, the sectors reaching all-time highs were private education and health services, 735,600; and leisure and hospitality, 524,900.

The sectors with the most job gains in the past month were accommodation and food services, 1,500; health care and social assistance, 900; arts, entertainment, and recreation, 800; state government, 600; and management of companies, 400.

Jobs were down over the month in federal government, 1,500; administrative and support services, 1,400; construction, 1,000; retail trade, 800; and finance and insurance, 600.

The sectors with the most job gains over the past year were health care and social assistance, 23,800; administrative and support services, 6,100; accommodation and food services, 5,600; arts, entertainment, and recreation, 3,700; and durable goods manufacturing, 3,200.

Jobs were down over the year in transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 17,000; federal government, 11,100; information, 4,200; professional, scientific, and technical services, 2,500; and wholesale trade, 2,000.

Georgia’s labor force increased by 13,973 to 5,401,357 in November and declined by 8,032 over the past year.

Employment rose by 5,925 to 5,211,726 and declined by 1,087 over the past 12 months.

Unemployment rose by 8,048 to 189,631 in November and was down 6,945 over the past year.

Initial claims were down 2,755 over the month to 16,719 in November and down 2,600 over the year.

Contact Georgia Department of Labor Communications Office 
[email protected] 
(404) 232-3685 
 
Media Contact: Director of Communications, Shawna Mercer 
Email: [email protected] 
Phone Number: 678-350-6878 
 
For personalized assistance, employers can reach Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) staff at https://dol.georgia.gov/email-us. For more information on unemployment benefits, claimants should call 877.709.8185 or visit their MyUI Claimant Portal. GDOL’s Career Centers also provide in-person unemployment insurance benefit services for customers statewide.

For more information on jobs and current labor force data, visit Georgia LaborMarket Explorer to view a comprehensive report.

Four Futures for Jobs in the New Economy: AI and Talent in 2030 explores how AI advancement and talent trends, and their potential trajectories until 2030, could transform the future of jobs and the global economy. The paper consolidates views and insights from chief strategy officers and other experts around cross-cutting risks and opportunities, and “no-regret” strategies to help leaders understand critical uncertainties, stress-test assumptions and enhance foresight to navigate – and lead in – the new economy.

This report is the second output of the World Economic Forum’s Scenarios for the Global Economy Dialogue Series, which uses scenario analysis and cross-industry dialogue to help decision-makers navigate global economic developments and their implications for strategy, investment decisions and resilience. Throughout 2026, the dialogue series will continue to explore scenarios related to key economic topics, focusing on business-relevant challenges and uncertainties.

The Telecom Operators Association of Pakistan (TOA) has warned the government against pushing ahead with a rapid rollout of next-generation mobile networks without first addressing the high cost of compatible mobile devices.

They argue that a premature 5G rollout could drain scarce foreign exchange and divert capital away from upgrading existing infrastructure, even though millions of mobile users remain offline more than a decade after the country’s first 4G auction. Industry leaders say that experience should serve as a warning as authorities prepare the 5G sale.

Aamir Ibrahim, chairperson of the Telecom Operators Association of Pakistan, urged policymakers to prioritize consumer affordability and real‑world usability before accelerating rollout timelines. Pakistan’s digital future, he said, will depend less on how quickly 5G is launched and more on whether ordinary citizens can afford compatible devices and see enough value in staying connected. “Technology introduction by itself does not transform societies. Using that technology does,” he said.

While public debate on 5G has centred on global competitiveness and future readiness, Ibrahim said it has largely ignored a basic question: who will actually use 5G in Pakistan?

Industry estimates indicate that only about 2% of mobile users currently own a 5G‑enabled handset. Entry‑level 5G smartphones cost about Rs. 90,000, while high‑end iPhone models can reach Rs. 700,000. With most subscribers on prepaid plans and average incomes low, Ibrahim said device prices alone shut most Pakistanis out of any meaningful 5G experience.

Local manufacturing trends underscore the concern. Between 2019 and late 2025, Pakistan assembled roughly 152 million mobile devices domestically, with nearly 60% of them basic 2G feature phones. Even within smartphones, output has been concentrated in low‑cost 4G models, with virtually no 5G handsets made locally.

Ibrahim noted that adding 5G capability significantly raises handset production costs because of more advanced modems and radio components. In a price‑sensitive market, even modest cost increases can push phones beyond the reach of mass‑market buyers. Retooling assembly lines to support 5G typically takes several months, he added, limiting how quickly local manufacturers can respond even if policy signals improve.

Financing constraints add another hurdle. Unlike developed markets, where operators bundle devices with service plans and offer instalment options, Pakistan lacks a mature consumer credit system. Customers generally have to pay the full price upfront, putting high‑end smartphones beyond many households.

Ibrahim warned that spectrum policy focused only on rollout deadlines and coverage obligations, without addressing these demand‑side barriers, risks leaving operators with underused infrastructure. “An expensive and empty 5G network would not be a marginal shortcoming. It would be a national failure,” he said.

He also pointed to a broader “usability gap” in Pakistan’s digital landscape. Even where networks are available, millions remain offline because of limited digital skills, a shortage of relevant local content, and low trust in digital services. More than ten years after the first 4G auction, about one in four mobile customers still does not use mobile broadband.

Without fixing these structural issues, Ibrahim cautioned, 5G could widen rather than narrow the digital divide, serving a small urban elite while leaving most of the population behind. He called on regulators and the government to pursue a more balanced strategy that includes lowering taxes on devices, enabling handset financing schemes and aligning spectrum policy with consumer realities.

Ultimately, he argued, 5G’s success in Pakistan should be judged not by auction revenues or coverage maps but by how many people can participate meaningfully in the digital economy. “Pakistan does not need to win a race to launch 5G defined elsewhere,” Ibrahim said. “It needs a digital policy that prioritizes affordability, usability and long‑term inclusion over speed and symbolism.”

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Inflation still outside RBA target

But following a resurgence in inflation in the second half of 2025, the first major economic snapshot of the year won’t reassure the central bank that price pressures are back under control.

The RBA places greater emphasis on the trimmed mean, which excludes volatile items to show the underlying pulse of inflation.

The trimmed mean fell from 3.3 per cent to 3.2 per cent after rising 0.3 per cent month to month, still above the RBA’s 2 to 3 per cent target band.

“The undershoot on headline inflation should not be over‑interpreted,” Commonwealth Bank economist Harry Ottley said. “The weaker‑than‑expected outcome largely reflected volatile items and does not appear to reflect any softening of demand in the economy,” he said.

“We maintain our view that the RBA will increase the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.85 per cent in February.”

Headline inflation was underpinned by the timing of energy rebates rolling off in Queensland, with electricity costs up 19.7 per cent in the 12 months to November.

Australia CPI

WASHINGTON (TNND) — X’s artificial intelligence assistant, Grok, is facing trouble after reportedly generating fake nude or revealing images of public figures, including British royal Kate Middleton.

Grok had a rocky start in November 2023, when reports emerge that the AI assistant would reply to users who use it with misinformation or conspiracy theories.

The United Kingdom’s regulatory authority for the communication industry in the U.K. said it has made “urgent contact” with Elon Musk’s social media company over Grok creating images “undressing” real people.

“The BBC has seen several examples on the social media platform X of people asking the chatbot to alter real images to make women appear in bikinis without their consent, as well as putting them in sexual situations,” the outlet reported on Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Liz Kendall, the U.K.’s technology minister, urged Ofcom to take urgent action upon the issue.

“We cannot and will not allow the proliferation of these demeaning and degrading images, which are disproportionately aimed at women and girls,” she said in a statement, according to The Guardian.

“Make no mistake, the U.K. will not tolerate the endless proliferation of disgusting and abusive material online. We must all come together to stamp it out.”

The Princess of Wales is reportedly a big target of requests to Grok, as well as journalist Samantha Smith.

“While it wasn’t me that was in states of undress, it looked like me and it felt like me, and it felt as violating as if someone had actually posted a nude or a bikini picture of me,” Smith said.

Users have not only targeted celebrities from the U.K.; screenshots have also circulated online showing X users allegedly asking Grok to create inappropriate images of Stranger Things actress Nell Fisher, 14, in a bikini.

Elon Musk has since posted a reply to an inquiry about Grok “creating inappropriate images.”

“Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content,” he wrote.

Today, Sunrise Wind LLC (“Sunrise Wind”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ørsted, will file a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenging the lease suspension order issued on December 22, 2025 by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which will be followed by a motion for a preliminary injunction. 

While Sunrise Wind continues to seek to work constructively with the Administration and other stakeholders towards an expeditious and durable resolution of this matter, it believes that the lease suspension order violates applicable law. The Sunrise Wind Project (“Project”) faces substantial harm from a continuation of the lease suspension order. As a result, litigation is a necessary step to protect the rights of the Project.   

Sunrise Wind secured all required local, state, and federal permits, following extensive multi-year reviews. As a requirement of the permitting process, the Project engaged in years-long consultation with the U.S. Department of Defense [War] Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse to address potential impacts to national security and defense capabilities from construction through to operation of the Project. Those consultations resulted in a fully executed formal agreement between the Department of War, the Department of the Air Force, and Sunrise Wind outlining mitigation measures by the Project.   

Sunrise Wind has spent and committed billions of dollars in reliance upon, and has met the requests of, a thorough review process. Additional federal reviews and approvals included the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service, and many other agencies. 

The Project is in advanced stages of construction and is nearly 45 percent complete. The Project has installed 44 of 84 monopile foundations as well as the offshore converter station. Construction of the onshore electric infrastructure is substantially complete, and near-shore export cables have been installed. At the time of the lease suspension order, the Project was expected to begin generating power as soon as October 2026.     

At a time of increasing energy demand, the Project will deliver reliable power and increased stability to the electric grid with industry experts forecasting that ratepayers could face increased risks to reliability without the completion of Sunrise Wind. The Project will deliver affordable power at a stable rate to nearly 600,000 homes once fully operational in 2027 under a 25-year contract with the State of New York.  

Sunrise Wind has supported thousands of American jobs across construction, operations, shipbuilding, and manufacturing, including more than 1,000 union workers who have already contributed more than 1 million union work hours to this project. Sunrise Wind is a part of Ørsted’s investment into American energy generation, grid upgrades, and port infrastructure, as well as a supply chain, including U.S. shipbuilding and manufacturing extending to more than 40 states. 

On January 1, 2026, Revolution Wind, LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables and Ørsted, made similar filings in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  

For further information, please contact:

Ørsted Global Media Relations 
Frederik Høj Rühne 
+45 99 55 95 52 
globalmedia@orsted.com  

Sunrise Wind Media Contact
Karl-Erik Stromsta
+1 737-357-6777
karle@orsted.com  

Ørsted Investor Relations 
Valdemar Hoegh Andersen 
+45 99 55 56 71 
Ir@orsted.com 

About Ørsted
Ørsted is a global leader in developing, constructing, and operating offshore wind farms, with a core focus on Europe. Backed by more than 30 years of experience in offshore wind, Ørsted has 10.2 GW of installed offshore capacity and 8.1 GW under construction. Ørsted’s total installed renewable energy capacity spanning Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America exceeds 18 GW across a portfolio that also includes onshore wind, solar power, energy storage, bioenergy plants, and energy trading. Widely recognised as a global sustainability leader, Ørsted is guided by its vision of a world that runs entirely on green energy. Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs approximately 8,000 people. Ørsted’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Orsted). In 2024, the group’s operating profit excluding new partnerships and cancellation fees was DKK 24.8 billion (EUR 3.3 billion). Visit orsted.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.  
 

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