Labor officials report mixed job numbers in April for Albany
Unemployment rate, initial unemployment claims in Albany fell while the number of jobs increased
From Staff Reports
ALBANY — Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Albany had mixed job numbers for April that reflected similar numbers throughout the state for the month.
The unemployment rate and initial unemployment claims in Albany fell while the number of jobs increased. Alternately, the labor force and number of employed individuals declined for the month.
“Even though we did see some fluctuations in the employment and workforce numbers across the state, job growth continues to be very strong,” Butler said.
Labor officials said Albany added 200 additional jobs in April, pushing its total to 63,100 jobs — which made for an overall increase of jobs by 400 in 2018. In April, Albany lost 197 employed residents, but at a total of 65,476 employed residents, there has been an increase by 1,339 this year.
In April the unemployment rate dropped to 4.3 percent, which is a .4 percent decrease in unemployment from the previous month and a 1.1 percent decrease from the unemployment rate of 5.4 percent one year ago. The labor force also decreased in April by 511 to 68,423 but remained up by 635 for the year, the state Labor Department said.
Only one metropolitan statistical area, Brunswick, added to its workforce during the month. Initial claims for unemployment, the measurement for new layoffs, fell by 10 percent for the month but are up by 22 percent from last year, labor officials said.
Six of the 14 MSAs saw claims rise in April. The five-county MSA includes Baker, Dougherty, Lee, Terrell and Worth counties.
Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at www.employgeorgia.com showed 408 new active job postings in metro Albany for April.
Individuals can visit www.dol.georgia.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers. GDOL can also be accessed on social media.
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