A jobs engine that seems to have sand stuck in its gears.
Fears about what artificial intelligence will mean for jobs, and whether spending on that advanced tech will keep booming. Tariffs and trade.
As 2026 opens, concerns remain about an economy that, at least on paper, keeps chugging along. The U.S. economy expanded in the third quarter by its best pace in two years and consumer spending was strong. The stock market remains bullish. But the housing market seems to have cooled.
The year brings big things to watch. How will Atlanta’s return to the global sports stage go? Can state and federal leaders grapple with concerns about affordability? It is an election year, after all.
Nearly a full year in under President Donald Trump, what’s next for climate and environment initiatives after the new administration stripped away many of the programs enacted by President Joe Biden?
And what on earth is next for CNN and the Turner networks?
Here are some of the key business, climate and environment stories The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will be watching in 2026:
Job market and AI
Georgia has already started to see a decrease in jobs, losing 3,200 jobs in September, according to the latest state unemployment report. In an uncertain economy, companies are under pressure to cut costs, and many firms in Georgia have laid off hundreds of workers in recent months. Wage growth has slowed nationally.
Going into the new year, continued economic uncertainty and a rush by companies to adopt AI to automate work is causing anxiety among jobseekers, from new graduates to older workers. The shifts could bring continued changes to higher education, job training and the workforce in 2026. But it could also change the way we work and create new jobs.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Affordability
After a year where tariffs dominated headlines and prices soared on some everyday items, such as coffee, consumers are likely to remain cautious with their pocketbooks.
Nationally, inflation could tick up to 3.5% in 2026, up from an average of 3% in 2025, according to a recent forecast from the University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth.
Trade and tariffs
Trump campaigned on plans to aggressively use tariffs to cajole foreign countries to make more things here and to raise revenue. He followed through on those promises in his first year in office. Although some sectors have been happy with such protectionism, the aggressive trade policy has squeezed many domestic companies that rely on foreign supply chains, even if their goods are assembled here. Trump has touted interim trade agreements with many countries, and commitments by some to make more things here — though that might take years to bear fruit.
Trump’s import taxes have also led to higher prices and made the job of the Federal Reserve tougher to meet its dual mandates of price stability and full employment. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in cases challenging the president’s tariffs also could curtail some of those levies.
Trump’s economic policies will likely be front and center in the 2026 elections.
Power bills could rise again
Rising power bills drove voters to the polls and cost two of Georgia Power’s regulators their seats in a November election. While the electric company struck an agreement to freeze base rates through 2028, that’s not the whole story.
Keep an eye out for power bills to become a hot-button issue in everything from the governor’s race to two seats on the PSC in 2026 as utility bills are likely to go up for two reasons: the cost of fuel used to make electricity and cleanup after Hurricane Helene.
Georgia Power doesn’t profit from the fuel dollars it collects, but that doesn’t mean customers likely won’t have to pay up. The utility gets roughly 40% of its fuel from gas and oil, both of which are subject to wild price swings compared with other sources of power.
The company has at least an $860 million uncollected tab for Hurricane Helene and other storms. Customers could expect that bill to come due for them in 2026 as well.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Data centers
Computer storage warehouses, which have been popping up across the Atlanta area in recent years, will continue to be top of mind.
Many multibillion-dollar data center proposals will go before local county boards for rezonings or other approvals, sometimes facing community opposition. Others that were recently approved should enter construction.
The state Legislature has shown data centers are on their radar with several bills introduced in recent years to require them to pick up their energy tab and to pause lucrative tax incentives for data centers, although none survived the industry’s lobbying arm or a veto from Gov. Brian Kemp. Many of those bills are likely to resurface in 2026.
World Cup
Atlanta has had years to prepare as a World Cup host city, but the clock is ticking.
In June and July 2026, hundreds of thousands of international soccer fans are expected to flock to Atlanta to attend eight matches, including at least two featuring the world’s top-ranked team in Spain. State and city leaders say they’ll be ready to roll out the red carpet for travelers, teams and foreign diplomats.
The tournament will act as a new spotlight for Atlanta and Georgia, either illuminating potential for foreign investment and tourism or exposing issues if the offerings by the city and state aren’t up to snuff. From the airport to MARTA to the city’s hospitality sector, the World Cup acts as a mammoth stress test.
City and state leaders say they’re adamant that they will be prepared. Time will tell on June 15 when the first match between Spain and Cape Verde kicks off.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Downtown redevelopment
Speaking of downtown, 2026 is shaping up to be a big year for the city’s central core. It will be in the spotlight for the World Cup, and Centennial Yards, the $5 billion redevelopment of downtown’s Gulch, will see new attractions open this year, some of them in time for the global event.
Midterm and state elections
The new year will bring elections for every state lawmaker and all constitutional officers in Georgia, including governor, lieutenant governor and secretary of state. Also on the ballot will be a U.S. Senate race and Georgia’s seats in the U.S. House. You can count on the economy and economic policy to be at the forefront of the bruising political battles to come.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
Minority contracting
The Trump administration’s battle against diversity initiatives has threatened the future of government contracting programs to direct a portion of funding to minority- or women-owned small businesses — striking at the heart of a key legacy of Atlanta’s city government and the city-run Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Although the city has renamed its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to come into compliance with federal anti-DEI executive orders, it is standing by its longstanding minority contracting goals.
The city already in 2025 permanently lost nearly $40 million over the issue. The coming year could bring more legal developments and moves that could affect the fate of federal funding for the city and the world’s busiest airport.
Credit: Charles Seabrook
Credit: Charles Seabrook
Okefenokee on the World Heritage stage
Does the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge have what it takes to join the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage list?
Georgia’s famed swamp should find out if it made the cut in July when the World Heritage Committee meets in Busan, South Korea. If selected, the Okefenokee would be the first Georgia site on the list and the first National Wildlife Refuge to be inscribed.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Turbulence for clean energy, EV sectors
Hyundai Motor Group, SK Battery America, Qcells and other companies with huge Georgia footprints had a bumpy ride in 2025. It may not be much smoother next year.
The Trump administration’s phaseout of most federal tax credits for clean energy and electric vehicle tax credits has already weakened demand, leading Ford Motor Co. and others to back away from all-electric models. Without the incentives, it is possible other companies could be forced to make tough choices in 2026.
Rivian, meanwhile, plans to launch its R2 crossover at its Illinois plant in 2026. Sales of that vehicle will have ramifications on Rivian’s planned Georgia factory, which is scheduled to start vertical construction next year. The $5 billion Georgia plant isn’t scheduled to begin production until 2028, but the ability of Rivian to move into a more mass market vehicle, one slated to start at $45,000, will be key for the company.
The future of CNN/Turner networks
What happens to CNN and the other Turner networks?
After weeks of courtship, Netflix announced plans to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming and studio businesses. WBD’s linear networks division was not part of the deal. Days afterward, the David Ellison-led Paramount launched an all-cash offer for the entirety of the company. If successful, the deal would put Atlanta’s storied Turner institutions, including CNN, under the control of Ellison, who maintains a close relationship with President Donald Trump via his father and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
In his CNBC interview, David Ellison said he wants to see a combined CNN-CBS news operation serve as “a scaled news service that is basically, fundamentally, in the trust business” that speaks to “the 70% of Americans that are in the middle.”
Even if Netflix prevails, Trump still said it is “imperative that CNN be sold.”
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