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26 Prospects for Selected MSAs in 2018 Atlanta Business development, a revival of population growth – due to an upturn in domestic migration – and the housing recovery will strongly underpin Atlanta's robust economic expansion. In 2019, new jobs will be plentiful, but the pace of job growth will slow. The slowdown mostly reflects the tighter labor market as well as strains on infrastructure. The area's economy and its growth are extremely diverse, which decreases the economic risk associated with living and doing business in Atlanta. The area's leading high wage industries include computer systems design and management of companies and enterprises. The MSA's politics are very business friendly. Atlanta is a major business and logistics hub. Atlanta is an innovation hub. Atlanta is also an information hub. The early deployment of 5G – the next generation of cellular networks – will benefit Atlanta significantly. In order, the Atlanta MSA's top ten employers are Emory University/Emory Healthcare, Delta Airlines, Wal-Mart Stores, Home Depot, WellStar Health System, AT&T, Northside Hospital, Piedmont Healthcare, Marriott International, and Publix Supermarkets. Atlanta is the cultural center of the Southeast. The population's level of educational attainment exceeds the national average. The hospitality industry is thriving. The Atlanta MSA is dependent on two highly cyclical industries – distribution and new construction, and those tilts should work to the area's advantage in 2019. Exports account for about 8.6 percent of the area's GDP. The MSA therefore is not overly dependent on export markets. Immigrants account for about 13.4 percent of the MSA's population. Thus, changes in U.S. immigration laws or stricter enforcement of existing immigration laws will affect the MSA's economic performance. The Atlanta MSA's main weakness is an overburdened infrastructure. In 2019, the area's high concentration of college-educated workers, business partners, cyber security, high-tech companies, and research universities will continue to attract high technology companies in life sciences, software development, research & development, healthcare IT, professional and business services, and advanced manufacturing. The CDC and nonprofits such as the national headquarters of the American Cancer Society and the Arthritis Foundation attracts life sciences companies. New high-tech development (e.g., healthcare IT, Fintech, cyber security, software development, mobile apps, and corporate innovation centers) are growing rapidly in Atlanta. That trend will continue. The information industry is highly concentrated in the Atlanta MSA, but it will expand modestly in 2019. Atlanta's high-tech development depends on easy access to quality universities, especially university research centers that transfer new ideas and technologies to local businesses. For example, in the wake of the "Great Recession," the innovation district that developed around Tech Square achieved the critical mass needed to attract high-tech companies to Midtown Atlanta. The innovation ecosystem in Midtown attracts established high-tech companies, high- tech startups, innovation centers, research and development centers, service providers, as well as venture capitalists. This vibrant innovation district is booming. Accenture plans to expand its operations at Tech Square, adding hundreds of tech-related jobs over the next few years. In partnership with Georgia Tech, Keysight Technologies is expanding its presence by opening a software design center in Midtown, creating over 200 software and engineering jobs. Kaiser Permanente is establishing an IT campus in Midtown that will support 900 jobs when fully developed. NCR is building its new global headquarters campus in Midtown near Tech Square. The NCR campus will include a research, innovation, and design-thinking lab. In total, NCR will create over 1,800 jobs in Midtown. Over five years, Honeywell will create 830 jobs at its global headquarters for "Home and Building Technologies," which will include a state-of-the-art software center. The UCB Solutions Accelerator recently opened at Technology Square. KPMG opened "Ignition" in Midtown, which is an innovation center that currently supports about 80 jobs, but will expand to employ about 160 professionals by the end of 2019. In the new Delta Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility at Georgia Tech, Boeing recently opened a manufacturing research and development center that will develop advanced manufacturing t echnologies. In 2018, Airbus and Georgia Tech opened a new aircraft design facility. In addition, many small and startup companies are locating near Tech Square. Pandora plans to open a regional headquarters in Midtown Atlanta in early 2019 with space for 200 to 250 employees.