Mark Butler, Georgia Labor Commissioner, has announced that Rome added to its labor force in September. According to preliminary data from the state Department of Labor, the one-county MSA (or Metropolitan Statistical Area) also saw strong annual numbers across all major indicators.
Rome’s unemployment rate stood at 3.3 percent last month, a decrease from 3.9 percent in August and from four percent in September 2018.
Butler attests that unemployment decreased as the labor force and number of employed residents increased. First-time claims for unemployment insurance rose over the month, but most of those laid-off workers have already returned to work.
Unemployment claims increased by about 48 percent over the month and by about 105 percent over the year.
Rome ended the month of September with 42,200 jobs, unchanged from the previous month but up by 1,000 over the year.
Butler adds that while job creation remained flat over the month, the number of job seekers who have been successful in their hunt for gainful employment has risen.
Georgia’s unemployment rate stood at 3.5 percent last month, a decline from 3.6 percent in August and from 3.7 percent in September 2018. The state’s all time low of 3.4 percent was set in December 2000.
The national unemployment rate was also 3.5 percent in September, a decline from 3.7 percent in August.
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.