Pre-coronavirus, state’s labor force reaches all-time high
From staff reports
ATLANTA – State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said last week that in February the number of employed Georgians and the state’s labor force reached an all-time high.
February 2020 labor statistics also revealed that the unemployment rate has remained at a record low for the fourth month in a row.
The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.1 percent, equaling an all-time low for Georgia. February 2020 came in 0.6 percentage points lower than last February’s rate of 3.7 percent.
Georgia began 2020 with a record high 4,995,066 employed residents. February showed an increase of 7,061 over the month. This number has increased by 96,182 since February of 2019.
Georgia’s labor force was up 8,585 to 5,156,201, an all-time high for the state. This total was up 66,558 from this time last year.
Jobs in Georgia were down slightly by 1,000, only 0.1 percentage points. However, they were up 48,800 over the year, reaching a total of 4,650,300.
Several sectors saw an increase in job activity among their industry over the year. The state added more than 5,000 jobs in three sectors:
♦ Education and health services, 26,600
♦ Trade, transportation, utilities, 13,400
♦ Leisure, hospitality, 8,200
Unemployment claims showed a decrease of 51 percent from January but were up 1 percent from February 2019.
Employ Georgia posted more than 95,000 statewide job listings during the month of February.
The Georgia Department of Labor strives to increase economic opportunity for all Georgians through strategic collaboration, innovative technology solutions, and cutting-edge work force initiatives. It is the department’s mission to employ Georgia. For more information, visit gdol.ga.gov. To view the latest job listings in Georgia, visit employgeorgia.com.
