Georgia jobless rate holds steady

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By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service

ATLANTA — Georgia’s unemployment rate was 3.6% last month for the third month in a row, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.

The state’s labor force rose by 1,370 in October to a record-high 5.4 million, while the number of employed Georgians increased slightly to another all-time high of 5.2 million.

“While job growth has slowed nationwide, Georgia continues to drive job creation and work force participation,” state Commissioner of Labor Bruce Thompson said. “This stability shows what’s possible with a state government that puts hard-working Georgians first.”

The number of jobs also went up last month by 1,500 to nearly 5 million.

Job sectors showing the most over-the-month gains were accommodation and food services, which gained 4,300 jobs, and health care and social assistance, posting a jobs gain of 2,200.

On the down side, the administrative and support services sector lost 3,700 jobs in October, while transportation and warehousing was down 1,400 jobs, and the information sector — which includes the motion picture and sound recording industries — lost 1,300 jobs.

Initial unemployment claims were up by 9,042 last month to 28,642.

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Bruce Thompson

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Except for a brief period, Albany Herald Editor Carlton Fletcher has been a newspaperman, working as Sports Writer/Columnist for the weekly Ocilla Star, as Sports Writer/Sports Editor with The Tifton Gazette, and as Sports Writer/Copy Editor/News Reporter/Features Editor and Editor of the paper. He has won numerous awards for sports, news, business and column writing, including a first-place Business Writing award in last year’s Georgia Press Association awards competition.

Read Carlton’s stories.

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