Hall jobless rate down

ATLANTA -- The Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday that the unemployment rate
in the Georgia Mountains area for July was 3.3 percent, unchanged from June. At the
same time, the number of employed residents in the area declined by 825.

The Hall County jobless rate is down one-tenth of a percent to 3.2 percent. Most other counties in the region also recorded a decrease.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in Georgia for July was 4.4 percent, a decrease of
two-tenths percent from 4.6 percent in June. At the same time, the number of jobs in
the state declined by about 26,700.

"About 70 percent of the jobs lost in July came from among seasonal workers at
local public schools around the state," said State Labor Commissioner Michael
Thurmond. "Historically, the number of jobs and the number of people working
decline at this time of year.

"However, there are thousands of additional laid-off workers continuing to search
for a job, many of whom will need additional training or retraining in order to
return to work," Thurmond continued. "A training program that we initiated last
year 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."