The number that measures the country’s economic performance was positive this past quarter.

The GDP grew at 3.5 percent--the best pace in two years. Economists largely attribute that to consumer spending.

This technically means the nation is out of a recession, says Georgia’s economic forecaster Dr. Rajeev Dhawan, but Georgia is not in the clear.

He says the state’s economy is still contracting and our unemployment rate is worse than the national average.

"What we have to worry about going forward is when the jobs will come back, and that will depend on when the investment comes back."

Dhawan says he's hopeful because national numbers show investment is no longer in the negative. And now that companies have stopped cutting, he says if they'd just start growing again, then they’ll start hiring again.

Tags: recession, unemployment, Job Loss, Georgia unemployment, Economic Forecasting Center, Dr. Rajeev Dhawan, Gross Domestic Product, GDP, Georgia recession