Though not yet back to pre-pandemic numbers, the unemployment rate for both the Gainesville metro area and the Georgia Mountains Region decreased from July to August.
Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Gainesville’s unemployment rate decreased in August to 3.9%, a drop of 1.7% from July. A year ago the rate was 2.9%.
Additionally, Gainesville saw a monthly increase in jobs and a monthly decrease in initial claims in August, according to Butler.
"It is very promising that we continue to see the unemployment rate drop month after month, while the job market gets stronger, evoking positive news for Georgia’s economy," Butler said. "The state as a whole is leading the nation in competitive unemployment rates, coming in at seventh lowest."
Additional statistics for August:
- The labor force decreased in August by 2,226 and ended the month with 96,428. That number is down 5,509 when compared to August of 2019.
- Gainesville finished the month with 92,706 employed residents. That number decreased by 411 over the month and is down by 6,225 when compared to the same time a year ago.
- Gainesville ended August with 90,300. jobs. That number increased by 800 from July to August but was down by 3,500 when compared to this time last year.
- The number of unemployment claims went down by 48 percent in August. When compared to last August, claims were up by about 1,509 percent.
- Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed about 1,542 active job postings in metro Gainesville for August.
The Gainesville/Hall County metro is also part of the Georgia Mountains Region, and the region saw an unemployment rate of 3.9%, a drop of 1.6% from the previous month.
The Georgia Mountains Region includes Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union and White counties.
