The Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday that the unemployment rate
in the Georgia Mountains area for April was 2.5 percent, a decline of two-tenths
percent from 2.7 percent in March. During the same one-month period, the number of
employed residents of the area increased by 648, or three-tenths percent.
The rate is down in every county in the 13-county region, except two - Dawson and Union - where the rates remained the same. The jobless rate is down in 107 of the state's 159 counties. (See Georgia Mountains county-by-county numbers at the end of this story.)
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in Georgia for April was 3.5 percent, a decline of
two-tenths percent from 3.7 percent in March. During the same one-month period, the
number of jobs in Georgia increased by 17,200, or four-tenths percent.
"The decline in unemployment in each of the last three months is encouraging, but
job creation in Georgia remains slow," said State Labor Commissioner Michael
Thurmond. "At the current rate, too few jobs are being created to accommodate our
long-term unemployed workers and new job seekers, many of whom are seeking summer
employment."
COUNTY-BY COUNTY:
County This month Last month
Banks 2.4% 2.6%
Barrow 3.6% 3.9%
Dawson 2.3% 2.3%
Forsyth 2.3% 2.6%
Habersham 2.2% 2.3%
Hall 2.5% 2.7%
Jackson 2.8% 2.9%
Lumpkin 2.1% 2.4%
Rabun 1.8% 1.9%
Stephens 4.9% 5.6%
Towns 1.8% 2.2%
Union 2.6% 2.6%
http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/5/158399