Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Gainesville set records in July for labor force and employed residents and the unemployment rate dropped, as well.
Butler said the one-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA) saw its unemployment rate tumble to 3.2 percent – the lowest among all 14 MSAs in Georgia.
All indicators remain positive for the year, according to Butler.
“Georgia continues to be in a period of sustained growth,” Butler said in a Thursday morning press statement. “There are no indicators in July that Georgia’s growth is going to slow down anytime soon.”
The July unemployment rate in the Gainesville metro fell to 3.2 percent, down 0.3 percent from the previous month and down from 4.1 percent one year ago.
The labor force increased in July by 142 to reach 104,922 total members – a record for Gainesville. The number has climbed by more than 3,500 over the past 12 months.
Gainesville added 430 new employed residents in July, pushing its total to an all-time high 101,594. That number has grown by more than 4,500 over the past year.
However, Gainesville lost 200 jobs for the month, with total jobs settling at 93,500. For the year, the job growth is on the plus side - up 3,700 jobs for the year.
Initial claims for unemployment grew by about 1-percent for the month but are down by about 10 percent for the year.
Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 676 active job postings in metro Gainesville for July.
