UNDATED - The number of people filing new claims for jobless benefits nationwide rose sharply last week after three straight declines, another sign that hiring remains weak but in Georgia they are down more than 20 percent from a month ago.
The U.S. Labor Department says initial claims for jobless benefits rose by 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 472,000, the highest level in a month. Economists had expected claims would fall to a seasonally adjusted 450,000, according to Thomson Reuters.
First-time claims have hovered near 450,000 since the beginning of the year after falling steadily in the second half of 2009. That has raised concerns that hiring is lackluster and could slow the recovery.
The number of people continuing to claim benefits rose by 88,000 to 4.57 million.
GEORGIA NUMBERS
In Georgia, meanwhile claims are down 23 percent from a month ago. Dalton, Athens, and Gainesville led the way with the biggest drops... 53.2 percent, 38.3 percent, and 37.6 percent respectively.
On the other hand, Hinesville (10.3 percent); Albany (6.9 percent); and, Savannah (3 percent) posted the largest increases in first-time claims.
(AccessNorthGa.com's Ken Stanford contributed to this story.)
Sunday
June 22nd, 2025
2:30AM
