The Georgia Department of Labor released another round of unemployment numbers for October this week, and the Georgia Mountains region set records in two areas, despite seeing an increase in the unemployment rate.
State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the 13-county region set all-time highs in labor force and employment, according to preliminary numbers.
"October was a great month for Georgia and our local communities,” Butler said in a press statement. “We continued to create jobs and people gained employment – often at record numbers.”
In the region, the October unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points, coming in at 2.6 percent. Butler said the rate was the lowest recorded among Georgia's 12 regions. It was 3.2 percent one year ago. Rates fell or held steady across nine of Georgia’s 12 planning regions. Seven set or tied a record for lowest rate ever.
Nationally, the unemployment rate climbed in October to 3.6 percent, an increase of 0.1 percentage points. The nation also grew to its labor force by 325,000, increased employment by 241,000 and added more 125,000 jobs. Georgia’s unemployment rate, meanwhile, fell in October by 0.1 percentage points to 3.4 percent. That tied Georgia’s all-time low set in December of 2000.
Butler said the labor force in the region increased in October by 1,318 to reach 352,867 total members – a new record high. The number has climbed by 2,683 over the past 12 months.
The Georgia Mountains region added 943 employed residents in October, bringing its total to 343,612. That number has grown by 4,806 over the past year.
Initial claims for unemployment went up by about 31 percent in October. They are up by about 16 percent when compared to last October.
Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 2,390 active job postings in the Georgia Mountains region for October.
