Hall jobless rate down

ATLANTA - The unemployment rate in the 13-county Georgia Mountains Region is down two-tenths of a percent - and the Hall County rate is also down slightly.

The state Labor Department reported Thursday morning that the Hall County rate is down one-tenth of a percent to 3.2 percent.

All other counties in the region - except Barrow, Dawson, Jackson and Lumpkin - showed declines. Barrow and Lumpkin were up, and the jobless rates in Dawson and Jackson were unchanged.

The area's rate declined because the workforce fell, as some workers left the job
market after not finding seasonal jobs during the summer. The workforce is the total
number of people employed, plus those unemployed but actively seeking work.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in Georgia for August was 4.3 percent, a decrease
of one-tenth percent from 4.4 percent in July. The state's rate declined slightly
because the workforce fell by 7,515.

"While I'm pleased to see a decline in the unemployment rate in the Georgia
Mountains area and in Georgia," said State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond,
"I'm still very concerned about the nearly 200,000 unemployed workers in the
state who have not been able to find jobs."

Thurmond noted that several companies have announced plans to layoff about 1,300 more workers by the end of the year.

"Job creation continues to be anemic, and many of these laid-off workers will need additional
training or retraining to return to work," he added. "A training program that we have initiated to help them is called Georgia Works. It allows job seekers to get on-the-job
training while continuing to receive unemployment benefits. Nearly 60 percent of
those who complete Georgia Works training are hired."