ATLANTA – The jobless rate for the Northeast Georgia region ticked down a bit in October, while the Gainesville metro remained flat, according to numbers released Thursday morning by the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL).
GDOL announced that the unemployment rate in the Northeast Georgia region in October was 5.4 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from 5.5 percent in September. The rate in October 2014 was 6.4 percent.
The rate declined as the number of employed residents increased by 1,094 to 263,667 from 262,573 in September.
At the same time, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 116, or 8.8 percent, to 1,438 in October. Most of the increase came in construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing. Over the year, claims were down by 383, or 21 percent, from 1,821 in October 2014.
Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.7 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 7.3 percent.
While the rate for Gainesville was unchanged, Gainesville employers created more jobs and laid off fewer workers, as measured by initial claims for unemployment insurance. The number of jobs increased by 600, or 0.7 percent, in October to 82,900. The job gains came mostly in the service-related industries, such as trade, transportation and warehousing, along with the goods-producing sector, which includes manufacturing and construction.
Over the year, Gainesville gained 1,200 jobs, a growth rate of 1.5 percent, from 81,700 in October 2014. Most of the job growth came in the service-related industries and the goods-producing sector.
Also, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined by 205, or 29.7 percent, to 486 in October. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 69, or 12.4 percent, from 555 in October 2014.
Also, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for October was 5.7 percent, down from 5.8 percent in September. It was 6.8 percent in October 2014.
Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted.
