First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Georgia were up statewide and in Gainesville in October compared to September.
According to state Labor Commissioner Mark Butler, applications increased statewide by 9.6 percent and were up in Gainesville by 2.5 percent.
Athens (11.1 percent) and Atlanta (10.6 percent) also registered increases as did most of the metropolitan areas in the state. The biggest increases were in Macon-Bibb County (70.4 percent), Augusta-Richmond County (62.1 percent) and Columbus (36.2 percent). The increase in Gainesville was the second-lowest in the state. Only Valdosta (0.3 percent) had a smaller increase. Butler said most of the increases were the result of temporary claims in manufacturing.
In releasing the report, Butler did note tthat the over-the-year numbers were better. Compared to October a year ago, claims were down by 7.9 percent.
(Click here for more data on the metropolitan areas as well as statistics for each county in Georgia.)
