Ga. unemployment rate at 9.3 percent

ATLANTA - Georgia reported a 9.3 percent unemployment rate in April, almost unchanged from the previous two months, while metro Gainesville remains among the state's leaders in job losses over the past 12 months.

State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said Thursday the numbers suggest Georgia's labor market ``may be beginning to stabilize.''

But he cautioned that it's too soon to say for sure.

Georgia remained above the national unemployment rate of 8.9 percent for the 18th consecutive month.

The 9.3 percent seasonally adjusted rate state officials reported on Thursday inched up slightly from 9.2 percent in March and February.

Currently, 446,560 unemployed Georgians are looking for work, an increase of 60 percent from April 2008. Of that number, 167,981, or 37.6 percent, are receiving unemployment insurance benefits.

The labor department is also reporting that every metro area of the state recorded a increse in the number of job losses from April 2008 to April 2009.
Dalton led the way with a 9.7 percent change (7,300 jobs lost), followed by Atlanta, 5.1 percent (123,600 jobs), and Gainesville, five percent (3,900 jobs).

Athens, Warner Robins and Columbus had the best showing, with Athens recorded only 800 job losses (.9 percent) over the 12-month period.

(AccessNorthGa.com's Ken Stanford contributed to this story.)

AP file photo.

State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said Thursday the numbers suggest Georgia's labor market ``may be beginning to stabilize.''

http://accesswdun.com/article/2009/5/220562