Labor Dept reports NE Ga jobless rate

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Northeast Georgia’s unemployment rate did not change from July to August.

“Although we are seeing fewer unemployed individuals now than before the pandemic started, we are also still seeing a decreased total number of people in the workforce when compared to numbers recorded prior to the pandemic,” said Commissioner Mark Butler. “This will continue to cause a hiring crunch until we can attract more people back to the workforce to fill the record number of job openings.”

In Northeast Georgia, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 2.8 percent in August. A year ago, the rate was 5.7 percent.

The labor force decreased in August by 277 to 309,968. That number is up 15,201 over-the-year.

Northeast Georgia ended August with 301,438 employed residents.  The number decreased by 255 in August but was up 23,584 as compared to last year.

Initial claims for unemployment decreased 26 percent in August. When compared to last August, claims were down about 85 percent.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 5,769 active job postings in Northeast Georgia for August.

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