Unemployment rate drops slightly from August

The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the unemployment rate in the Georgia Mountains region for September was 4.9 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from 5 percent in August. The rate in September 2014 was 6 percent.

The Georgia Mountains region had the second lowest rate among the 25 local areas. It, and the Gainesville MSA at 4.7 percent, were the only areas below the 5 percent threshold.

The rate declined as the number of unemployed residents decreased by 352 to 14,925 from 15,277 in August.

At the same time, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 455, or 37.4 percent, to 1,673 in September. Most of the increase came in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were up by 121, or 7.8 percent, from 1,552 in September 2014.

The Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest rate at 7.5 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for September was 5.8 percent, unchanged from August. It was 6.9 percent in September 2014. Over the month, Georgia gained 9,100 jobs, and is ranked third nationally in monthly job creation. Over the year, Georgia gained 84,200 jobs.

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