The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced Thursday that the unemployment rate in the Northwest Georgia region in April was 4.6 percent, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 4.9 percent in March. In April 2016, the rate was 5 percent.
The rate declined as more people became employed and employers reduced the number of new layoffs. Also, there was a decline in the labor force.
There were 462 more Northwest Georgia area residents employed in April than in March, pushing the total number to 393,826. There were 10,533 more people employed in April than in April 2016.
Although there were more employed residents, the labor force, which consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed and actively looking for jobs, declined by 447 to 412,991. That total represents an increase of 9,420 over the past 12 months.
The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, declined by 1,582, or 43.1 percent, to 2,087. The decrease came in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 699, or 25.1 percent, from 2,786 in April 2016.
Metro Dalton’s unemployment rate in April was 5.2 percent, down six-tenths of a percentage point from 5.8 percent in March. In April 2016, the rate was 5.5 percent.
The rate declined as employers created more jobs and reduced the number of new layoffs.
The number of jobs in Dalton increased by 200, or 0.3 percent, to 70,200. The job growth came in textile manufacturing and trade, transportation and warehousing.
Over-the-year, a total of 400 jobs were added, a 0.6 percent growth rate, up from 69,800, in April 2016. The job growth came in manufacturing, trade, transportation and warehousing, along with professional and business services.
The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, declined by 576, or 45.6 percent, to 688. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 362, or 34.5 percent, from 1,050 in April 2016.
Between March and April, the labor force, which consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed and actively looking for jobs, declined by 427 to 62,528. As the labor force decreased, so did the numbers of employed and unemployed residents. There were 86 fewer employed and 341 fewer unemployed residents.
However, compared to April a year ago, the labor force had a net increase of 563, the number of employed grew by 679, and there were 116 fewer unemployed.
Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 3.9 percent, while the Heart of Georgia and River Valley regions had the highest at 5.9 percent.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for April was 5 percent, down from 5.1 percent in March. It was 5.4 percent in April 2016.
Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use GDOL’s online job listing service employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees. In April, 3,723 new job openings in the Northwest Georgia region were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 75,183 new job openings were posted.
Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available atdol.georgia.gov