Southwest Georgia unemployment rate at all-time low
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From staff reports
ATLANTA — Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said this week that the southwest Georgia region’s unemployment rate fell in November to an all-time low.
At the same time, monthly numbers were up for employed residents and initial claims were down over the month and year for the 14-county area, preliminary numbers show.
“Georgia had a record number of jobs, employment and total individuals in our work force,” Butler said. “We had the fewest number of unemployed individuals since 2001, when we had one million fewer people in our work force. Overall, it was a spectacular month.”
Nationally, the unemployment rate fell in November to 3.5 percent, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points. The nation also grew its labor force by 40,000, increased employment by 83,000 and added more than 266,000 jobs.
Georgia’s unemployment rate, meanwhile, fell in November by 0.1 percentage points to 3.3 percent. That rate is the lowest since the federal government began keeping records in 1976. Rates fell across all of Georgia’s 12 regions, and 11 set records for lowest rate ever.
In southwest Georgia, the unemployment rate dropped 0.3 percentage points in November to an all-time low rate of 3.2 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4.1 percent.
The labor force in Southwest Georgia decreased by 285 in November, bringing the total to 148,181. The number has decreased by 3,558 when compared to the same month a year ago.
Southwest Georgia added 136 employed residents in November, bringing the total to 143,415. The number is down 2,144 for the year.
Claims for unemployment insurance were down by about 10 percent in November. They were down by about 59 percent when compared to the same month a year ago.
Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 1,820 active job postings in southwest Georgia for November.
The Southwest Georgia Region includes Baker, Calhoun, Colquitt, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas and Worth counties.
Visit dol.georgia.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers, and to connect the Labor department on social media.
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