July 28, 2016

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the unemployment rate in the Georgia Mountains region in June was 4.9 percent, up nine tenths of a percentage point from 4 percent in May. The rate in June 2015 was 5.4 percent.

The rate rose as the labor force increased by 4,418 to 323,549, as students and others entered the job market looking for work. The labor force consists of people employed and those who are unemployed but actively looking for jobs. The number of employed workers rose by 1,374, while the number of unemployed people increased by 3,044.

Meanwhile, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined by 321, or 18.5 percent, to 1,418 in June. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing. And, over the year, claims were down by 76, or 5.1 percent, from 1,494 in June 2015 Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.7 percent, while the Heart of Georgia/Altamaha region had the highest at 6.9 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for June was 5.1 percent, down from 5.3 percent in May. It was 5.8 percent in June 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 employees. In June, 2,027 new job openings in the Georgia Mountains area were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 64,944 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