Mark Butler, Georgia’s Labor Commissioner, has announced that Northwest Georgia added to its labor force and employed residents in October. Annual numbers for each also increased in the 15-county area, preliminary numbers by the state Department of Labor reveal.
Northwest Georgia’s unemployment rate stood at 3.1 percent last month, an increase from three percent in September but a decrease from 3.8 percent in October 2018.
Butler states that in spite of the over-the-month increase in the unemployment rate, more jobseekers were successful in their search for gainful employment.
Initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, rose by 42 percent over the month and by about seven percent over the year.
Northwest Georgia’s labor force stood at 422,634 last month, and the number of employed residents totaled 409,400.
Georgia’s unemployment rate decreased in October to 3.4 percent, which tied the all-time low set in December 2000.
The nationwide unemployment rate rose in October to 3.6 percent, an incline from 3.5 percent in September.
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.