The 1,500-bed prison will house medium security inmates and will be built in partnership with The GEO Group, Inc., which manages and/or owns 63 correctional and residential treatment facilities worldwide. The facility will cost $80 million.

“This partnership is great news for the Department and the Milledgeville and Baldwin County communities,” said Commissioner Brian Owens.  “Our mission of protecting the public will only gain strength by entering into this agreement with The GEO Group.  We look forward to working with their team and fulfilling our commitment of managing offenders, while providing a safe and secure environment for Georgians.”

The Georgia Department of Corrections is the fifth largest prison system in the United States and is responsible for supervising nearly 60,000 state prisoners and over 150,000 probationers. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 13,000 employees.

Of the 300 permanent positions at the new prison, 176 will be correctional officer positions. Those hired will not be state employees.

“I’m optimistic, but I’ve downgraded my predictions because there are too many fragile things going on around the world,” Dhawan said, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

A major catalyst for the expected increase in jobs next year is an increase in Georgia exports. The report estimates 42,500 jobs will be gained in 2011 and another 51,600 in 2012.

The job market will continue to struggle this year, though, as Dhawan predicts the Atlanta region will lose another 12,500 this year.

Qual Tex Labs, a San Antonio-based  medical company that screens blood and plasma is investing $12 million over the next five years and is planning to hire around 125 new employees.

Web Industries announced adding as many as 250 new workers, and Spectral Response, an electronic contract manufacturer is adding about 150 new positions.

“We happened to have a plan in place in 2006 called Partnership Gwinnett which got us very focused on targeting high paying industries,” Nick Masino, Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Economic Development said Tuesday.  “We ramped up our initiative in 2007.  At the same time this economic crisis began.  We were ready for it.  We were prepared for it.  That’s why as a region, we’re doing better than the rest of the southeast.”

The company plans to invest about $50 million and add 95,000 square feet next to its existing facility in Gordon County. Stone countertops will be made at the plant. Gov. Sonny Perdue said hiring for the new jobs is expected to begin in the third quarter of this year.

Companies that employ 50 or fewer will get $250 per certified “Work Ready” individual hired and up to $1,250 total, to assist with hiring and training expenses. The money for “Hire Work Ready” comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In order to be eligible for the program small businesses must participate in a “Work Ready” information session and be in good financial standing with the state.

The labor department will host the Georgia Jobs Summit in Atlanta today. The goal of the summit is to develop a strategy to stimulate job creation and hiring in the private sector.

In an interview with ABC News Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said Friday, “Obviously the holiday hiring season was somewhat of a disappointment here in Georgia. Typically the unemployment rate declines as retailer’s ramp up their staff during the Christmas season, but obviously this did not occur in December.”

Georgia now has the third highest personal bankruptcy rate in the nation. Bureau of labor statistics show that in the Atlanta/Marietta metropolitan area alone 117,100 non-farm payroll jobs were lost from November 2008 to November 2009.

The new service center will employ 900 people, and some 200 of those jobs are currently listedon NCR’s webpage. Altogether, the three facilities will bring in 3000 jobs.

NCR Corporation is a technology company specializing in products for the retail and financial sectors. Its main products are point-of-sale terminals, automatic teller machines, check processing systems, barcode scanners, and business consumables. They also are one of the largest providers of IT maintenance support services. The company was founded in 1884.

The new plant, which is Kia’s first plant in the United States, officially opens today.

3rd quarter profits for the company dropped 81%. Revenue also fell by 11.6 percent, driven down in part by the stronger dollar.

NCR Corporation, originally known as National Cash Register, was founded in 1884. It is a global corporation that manufactures ATM Machines, bar code scanners, point of sale systems and other similar products. NCR employs over 22,000 people.

Shaw was founded in 1946 as Star Dye Company and in 2001 was purchased by Berkshire Hathaway.