Unemployment rates rise in January for metro Albany, Southwest Georgia

ALBANY — The loss of holiday jobs was felt in the most recent jobless rate report released by the Georgia Department of Labor on Thursday.

The Department of Labor announced that Metro Albany’s unemployment rate for January was 7.6 percent, up three-tenths of a percentage point from 7.3 percent in December. At the same time, the jobless rate for the Southwest Georgia region in January was 7.5 percent, up from 7.4 percent in December.

The rates in January 2014 were 8.7 percent for metro Albany and 8.6 percent for Southwest Georgia.

The rate increased as the metro area lost 800, mostly temporary and part-time, jobs related to the holiday season. The number of jobs in the metro area declined to 61,000, down from 61,800 in December. Most of the loss came in retail trade, transportation, warehousing and state government.

There was an over-the-year gain of 400 jobs, up from 60,600, at the same time last year, labor officials said.

Most of the metro job gains came in the private sector’s service-related industries. There was a loss of mainly holiday-related jobs, but the number of new claims for unemployment decreased to 855, a drop of 13.5 percent from December. Most of the decrease in claims came in construction, accommodations and food services and administrative and support services. Over the year, claims were down by 4.5 percent from 895 filed in January 2014, officials said.

The Labor Department said the rate rose in Southwest Georgia as the number of unemployed residents increased by 323 to 10,964. Each year in January, some people lose temporary or part-time jobs related to the holidays, and even though the number of unemployed residents increased, the number of new claims for unemployment insurance dropped by 13.8 percent to 1,968.

Most of that decrease in claims came in manufacturing and accommodations and food services. Over the year, claims were down by 8.6 percent, from 2,153 filed at the same time in 2014, in Southwest Georgia, officials said.

Of the 14 metro areas tracked by the Labor Department, the Gainesville area had the lowest unemployment rate — a distinction held by metro Athens for several months — in January at 5.2 percent. Metro Dalton had the highest rate at 8 percent.

Of the 11 regional areas, the Georgia Mountains area had the lowest rate at 5.6 percent while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region near Dublin continues to have the highest rate at 8.3 percent, the Labor Department said.

Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for January was 6.4 percent, down from 6.6 percent in December. It was 7.3 percent in January 2014.