Led by Dalton, Rome and Gainesville, first-time claims for unemployment insurance in Georgia were up 52.7 percent in January.
The state Labor Department reports that only one of the 14 metropolitan areas in Georgia showed a decreases in claims during the month. They were down in Hinesville 6.2 percent.
The increase in Dalton was 219.2 percent. It was 159.8 percent in Rome and 125.8 percent in Gainesville. Athens and Atlanta showed increases of 63.8 percent and 38.1 percent, respectively.
State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler says this is a "normal seasonal occurrence" for January. Nearly half of all claims filed were temporary and most came in manufacturing and administrative and support services.
Over the year, claims were down by 4,502, or 8.3 percent, from 54,220 in January 2016, with manufacturing, construction and administrative and support services accounting for most of the decline.
