Employment increases in Georgia Mountains, unemployment down in September

Employment increases in Georgia Mountains, unemployment down in September

ATLANTA – State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said today the unemployment rate in the Georgia Mountains Region fell in September as the number of employed residents increased and unemployment claims declined.

The September unemployment rate, at 3.6 percent, was down from 4.1 percent in August.  The September rate compares favorably to last September when the rate was 4.8 percent. The rate is one of the lowest in Georgia.

“The combination of a falling unemployment rate and an increase in the number of employed residents shows a region on the rise,” Butler said. “Seeing the number of jobs increase is always a good indicator. However, seeing the number of employed Georgians increase is the ultimate positive result.”

Butler said Wednesday that in September the number of employed residents increased by 4,183 to 327,389. There were 13,435 more employed residents in the area than in September 2016.

Unemployment claims were down by 9.8 percent to 944. Claims were down in manufacturing. When compared to last September, claims were down by 23.2 percent from 1,229.

“Not only is the region producing good jobs, it’s putting people to work,” Butler said. “That’s great to see for the Georgia Mountains.”

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 2,071 new active job postings in the Georgia Mountains region for September.

Visit dol.georgia.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers and to connect with us on social media.

DATA FOR THE METRO AREAS ARE ATTACHED. TABLES AND GRAPHS REFLECTING LABOR MARKET DATA ARE AVAILABLE AT http://dol.georgia.gov/current-labor-force-data-and-graphs

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