Thursday March 28th, 2024 6:11PM
5:31PM ( 40 minutes ago ) News Alert

Gainesville metro once again boasts lowest unemployment rate in Georgia

By AccessWDUN staff
The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday morning that Metro Gainesville’s unemployment rate for April was 4.2 percent, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 4.5 percent in March. The rate in April 2015 was 4.6 percent. 
 
The rate declined as employers created more jobs and laid off fewer workers. 
 
The number of jobs increased by 500, or 0.6 percent, to 86,200 in April.  Most of the increase came in retail trade and the federal government. 
 
Over the year, Gainesville gained 3,500 jobs, a 4.2 percent growth rate, up from 82,700 in April 2015. Most of the job gains came in the goods-producing sector, which includes manufacturing and construction, along with the service industries such as trade, transportation and warehousing. 
 
The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined by 134, or 16.7 percent, to 668 in April. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing. However, over the year, claims were up by 352, or 111.4 percent, from 316 in April 2015. 
 
Also, Gainesville’s labor force decreased by 525 to 94,085.  
 
State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said that while Gainesville continues to boast the lowest job rate in the state, that statistic causes some concern among local government and economic development officials, too.
 
"When you talk about your unemployment rate being down to 4.2 percent and individuals also leaving the labor force, that can give you a little bit of concern because we're continuing to see businesses -especially in the Gainesville area - create jobs," Butler said.     
 
Conversely, the River Valley region had the highest jobless rate in Georgia for April at 6.4 percent.   
 
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for April was 5.5 percent, unchanged from March. It was 6.1 percent in April 2015. 
 
Butler said job seekers and employers should use the GDOL’s online job listing service, www.employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees.  In April, 834 jobs in Gainesville were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 71,092 jobs were posted, according to Butler. 
  • Associated Categories: Homepage, Local/State News, AP Business
  • Associated Tags: Gainesville unemployment, area unemployment rates, jobless rate, Labor Commissioner Mark Butler
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