Metro Athens Sees a Drop in the Unemployment Rate

From a GDOL press release: 

The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that metro Athens’ unemployment rate decreased to 6.1 percent in August, down eight-tenths of a percentage point from 6.9 percent in July. The rate was 6.8 percent in August a year ago.

The rate dropped because there was a significant reduction in layoffs and an increase in the number of jobs.

There were 516 new layoffs, represented by initial claims for unemployment insurance, which are 208, or 28.7 percent, fewer than the 724 in July. Much of the decline came in manufacturing, with additional reductions in administrative and support services, accommodations and food services, and health care and social assistance.

Over-the-year, the number of initial claims was down by 157, or 23.3 percent, from 673 in August 2012. Reductions were mostly in educational services, manufacturing, construction, trade, professional and technical services, and health care and social assistance.

There were 88,700 jobs in metro Athens in August, up by 500, or six-tenths of a percentage point, from 88,200 in July. The increase came in local government and trade.

Metro Athens gained 1,200 jobs, or 1.4 percent, since August 2012 when there were 87,500. The gains came in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and state and local government.

The labor force, which is the number of people employed plus those unemployed but actively looking for work, declined by 1,491 to 112,037 in August, down from 113,528 in July. And, it was also down by 708 from 112,745 in August 2012.

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 6.1 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 11.9 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August was 8.7 percent, down from 8.8 percent in July. The rate was 9.0 percent in August a year ago.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.state.ga.us