Rabun County experiences increase in the labor force

RABUN COUNTY — With the most recent development of ELK Group International (ELK), which brought more than 200 jobs for local residents to town, it’s no surprise that Rabun County’s labor force has increased.

According to information released last week from the Georgia Department of Labor, the Georgia Mountains Region posted a strong February with critical job measures trending in the right direction.

The Georgia Mountains region includes Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union and White counties.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler noted employed residents and labor force both increased; at the same time, the unemployment rate held steady and unemployment claims dropped.

In February, the number of employed residents in the Region, came in at 335,774, up by 4,034 over the month and 13,491 for the year. The labor force ended February at 349,193. That number is up 4,342 over the month and up 11,864 over the past 12 months.

At the same time, the jobless rate held at 3.8 percent in February. But a year ago, the jobless rate was 4.5 percent.

Areas served by Georgia’s 12 regional commissions had unemployment rates that varied from a low of 3.8 percent in the Georgia Mountains to 5.7 percent in the River Valley region. Butler continued to express that the positive trend in job growth in a contributing factor in why Georgia has been ranked one of the best states to work in. Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 1,970 new active job postings in the region for February.