Georgia Mountains’ unemployment rate declines to 4.3 percent in November

The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that the unemployment rate in the Georgia Mountains region in November was 4.3 percent, down four-tenths of a percentage point from 4.7 percent in October. The rate in November 2015 was 4.4 percent.

The rate declined as the number of employed residents increased and employers had fewer new layoffs.

The number of employed residents increased by 1,369 to 313,223. The labor force consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed, but actively looking for jobs, increased by 197 to 327,335. The number of unemployed residents declined by 1,172 to 14,112.

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined by 86, or 5.2 percent, to 1,570 in November. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 463, or 22.8 percent, from 2,033 in November 2015.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.1 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 6.3 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for November was 5.3 percent, up from 5.2 percent in October. It was 5.5 percent in November 2015.

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service, www.employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employers. In November, 1,994 new job openings in the Georgia Mountains were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 62,905 new job openings were posted.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.georgia.gov