Georgia unemployment holds steady in September

ATLANTA — Georgia continued to set employment records last month even as the state’s unemployment rate held steady.

The Peach State’s jobless rate stood at 3.6% in September, unchanged from August and five-tenths lower than the national average.

Georgia set all-time highs in several categories, including the number of jobs in the state’s economy, the number of employed Georgians and the size of the work force.

“Every job created represents another paycheck in the pocket of hard-working Georgians,” state Commissioner of Labor Bruce Thompson said. “With record-breaking job growth, an expanding work force, and rising key industries, we’re continuing to build better lives for families across our state.”

The number of jobs increased by 6,800 last month to nearly 5 million, a record. The sectors with the most over-the-month gains were health care and social assistance, which gained 4,700 jobs, and accommodation and food services, which posted an increase of 3,200 jobs.

The private educational services sector was down by 1,400 in September, and transportation and warehousing lost 1,000 jobs.

The number of employed Georgians rose by 1,761 last month to more than 5.2 million, another all-time high, while the state’s labor force increased by 4,777 to more than 5.4 million, also a record.

At the same time, the ranks of the unemployed was up by 3,016 to more than 195,000, the highest level since July 2021.

Initial unemployment claims declined by 3,598 in September to 19,600.

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