Mark Butler, Georgia’s Labor Commissioner, reports that Rome added more jobs in August. According to the preliminary data from the state Department of Labor, Metro Rome exhibited strong annual numbers for jobs, labor force and employed residents. The unemployment rate decreased across the one-county MSA (or Metropolitan Statistical Area).
Rome’s unemployment rate stood at 3.9 percent last month to mark a decline from 4.5 percent in July and in August 2018.
Butler states that the decline in the unemployment rate was largely influenced by over-the-month decreases in the labor force and the number of employed residents. However, the number of jobs increased by 200 over the month and by 1,200 over the year (to total 42,400 in August 2019). First-time claims for unemployment insurance also declined over the month.
The number of initial unemployment claims in Metro Rome dipped by about 63 percent over the month and by about four percent over the year.
In spite of over-the-month decreases, both the labor force and the number of employed residents experienced increases over the year.
Georgia’s unemployment rate was unchanged over the month at 3.6 percent, a decline from 3.8 percent in August 2018.
Connect with the Georgia Department of Labor online for more labor market data and information about services for job seekers at www.dol.georgia.gov.