ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the unemployment rate in the Georgia Mountains region in October was 4.5 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from 4.6 percent in September. The rate in October 2015 was 4.8 percent. The rate declined as the number of employed residents increased by 1,709 to 311,933.

The labor force, which consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed, but actively looking for jobs, rose by 1,736 to 326,777. The number of unemployed increased by 27 to 14,844.

Initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, rose by 427, or 34.7 percent, to 1,656 in October. Most of the increase came in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were up by 242, or 17.1 percent, from 1,414 in October 2015.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.4 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 7 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for October was 5.2 percent, up from 5.1 percent in September. It was 5.5 percent in October 2015.

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service, www.employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employers. In October, 2,523 new job openings in the Georgia Mountains region were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 70,200 new job openings were posted.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.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, visit www.dol.georgia.gov

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