While the June unemployment numbers are a far cry from 2019 levels, there were big improvements, according to State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler.
"June was the first month to show positive numbers in all major indicators since the pandemic started," Butler in a Thursday-morning statement. "Although it is nice to see the pendulum move in the right direction, we are not naive to the fact that we may see another tick up in claims over the next few months. We will continue to work unemployment claims both new and continued to ensure all Georgians are being taken care of during these unprecedented times."
The unemployment rate decreased in June to 7.6 percent, down 1.8 percentage points from May; a year ago, the rate was 3.5 percent. The state rate for June is 3.5 percentage points lower than the national rate of 11.1 percent.
Butler said June 2020 labor statistics also revealed over-the-month increases for the labor force, employment, and jobs.
June showed an increase of 118,100 employed residents over the month, bringing the total to 4,550,242. This number has decreased by 364,462 over the year.
Georgia’s labor force was up by 31,100 to reach a total of 4,923,646. The labor force was down 168,917 when compared to this same time last year.
Jobs in Georgia were up by 150,200 over the month, reaching a total of 4,370,300. They were down 239,800 over the year.
Unemployment claims showed a decrease of 228,209 claims or 27 percent in June to reach a total of 607,851 claims. They were up by 589,441 claims or 3,202 percent from June 2019.
Employ Georgia posted more than 89,068 statewide job listings during the month of June.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2020/7/921035/butler-june-jobs-report-shows-positive-numbers-in-all-major-indicators