Catching up with… Bárbara Rivera Holmes

What are the most pressing workforce development challenges in Georgia, and how is the Department of Labor working to address them?

Georgia has one of the strongest economies, and we must continue to drive forward by addressing the skills gap. Gov. [Brian] Kemp’s Top State for Talent Act aims to strengthen Georgia’s workforce by aligning education and training programs with the skills employers need, helping more Georgians access high-paying quality jobs. It supports small businesses in finding skilled workers and then ensures that the state remains competitive to attract new industries and help our existing industries expand. We understand the need to leverage a retired population that still wants to work. We also want to provide programs for our military spouses, veterans, youth and those that have been previously incarcerated.

How do the Department of Labor’s top priorities align with the needs of Georgia’s workers and employers?

[We are] empowering small businesses and entrepreneurs by helping them cut through unnecessary red tape that may be on our side, supporting them and simplifying hiring. When our small businesses have the right support, they thrive and create jobs. So we want to ensure that what we’re doing here at the Department of Labor facilitates our small business, overall business job creation and capital investment. We have some outdated systems and slow processes in our department – making it harder for people to access help. I’m completely committed to upgrading our technology, streamlining our services and ensuring faster, more reliable support. Whether it’s job creation, benefits access or workforce development, [the DOL] should be a partner in getting Georgians back to work and keeping our economy strong.

What does a day look like for you when you’re on the road visiting communities?

It looks like a lot of things: Speaking with employers, meeting with decision makers and community members and making sure I’m talking to employees across the state. We know that a strong economy starts with a strong workforce, and it’s a priority to make sure all Georgians have access to skills and training – so we’re working closely with partners across the state. We’re also spending time on the road and have launched a statewide listening tour to hear firsthand from businesses, small business owners and entrepreneurs. We’re finding there’s some really innovative programming happening in communities. We need localized initiatives to solve localized workforce challenges and [to] change them into opportunities. This grassroots approach lets us understand the specific issues facing our different regions – rural or urban – ensuring the programs and services we’re delivering meet real-world conditions and solutions. By working closely with the governor’s office and our legislative partners, we combine all of these things through community engagement and strong interagency partnerships.

[Regarding] what we’re hearing from communities, it’s important to give students perspective about the many opportunities that are available in their communities and throughout Georgia because we have a very strong, diversified economy that’s not reliant on one industry.

 You recently announced your decision to run for a full term. Tell us more about this.

This is an exciting time in both our state’s history and economy, with advances in workforce development. I have served in communities for many years, and it’s an incredible honor to serve Georgians on a larger scale. I’m eager to continue serving Georgia as labor commissioner, being able to drive smart policies helping our economy grow, being a strong teammate to the governor and his strategic initiatives and a partner to our workforce development partners. I have a heart for this work – for serving Georgians. I’m driven by making things better. It’s a very simple philosophy going back to service, continuing to work with our statewide partners and the governor’s office to help Georgia move forward.