The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that the unemployment rate in the Northwest Georgia region in December was 6.5 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage point from 6.4 percent in November. The rate in December 2013 was 7.2 percent.
The rate rose in December as 9,359 new claims for unemployment insurance were filed, an increase of 6,180, or 194.4 percent, from 3,179 in November. Most of the increase in claims was because of seasonal temporary layoffs in manufacturing and construction, administrative and support services, health care and social assistance, accommodations and food services, and trade, transportation and warehousing. Over the year, claims were down by 1,602, or 14.6 percent, from 10,961 filed in December 2013.
Metro Dalton’s unemployment rate for December was 8.2 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from 8.3 percent in November. The rate in December 2013 was 9.4 percent.
While the rate declined slightly in December, the number of jobs in Metro Dalton was unchanged at 63,900 from November to December. However, there was an over-the-year gain of 300 jobs, or 0.5 percent, from 63,600 in December 2013. Most of the job growth came in professional and business services and retail trade.
Also, there were 3,795 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in December, an increase of 2,670, or 237.3 percent, from 1,125 in November. Most of the increase in claims was because of seasonal temporary layoffs in manufacturing, administrative and support services, transportation and warehousing, and health care and social assistance. Over the year, claims were down by 488, or 11.4 percent, from 4,283 filed in December 2013.
Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.9 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 8.8 percent.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for December was 6.9 percent, down from 7.2 percent in November. It was 7.4 percent in December 2013.
A national leader in job growth for the past two years, Georgia has been in the top 10 states for job creation every month since October 2012. That trend continued in December as the state added 108,200 new jobs, for a 2.7 percent growth rate since December 2013. That pushed the state’s job total to 4,196,400, the highest level since 4,202,100 in December 2007.
Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.gdol.ga.gov. Connect on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter @GeorgiaDOL, which can be easily accessed via the website at www.gdol.ga.gov.