The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday morning that Metro Gainesville’s unemployment rate for December was 4.3 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage point from 4.2 percent in November. The rate in December 2014 was 5 percent.
The rate rose in December as jobs decreased by 200 and new layoffs, as measured by initial unemployment insurance claims, increased by 126.
The number of jobs decreased to 83,300, or 0.2 percent, from 83,500 in November. Most of the decrease came in local government.
Over the year, Gainesville gained 1,000 jobs, for a 1.2 percent growth rate, up from 82,300 in December 2014. Most of the job gains came in the goods-producing sector, including manufacturing and construction, along with the service industries, such as retail trade.
The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 18.8 percent, to 798 in December. Most of the increase was due to temporary claims filed in manufacturing. However, over the year, claims were down by 210, or 20.8 percent, from 1,008 in December 2014.
Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.3 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha and River Valley regions had the highest at 6.6 percent.
State labor officials also reported the unemployment rate for the Northeast Georgia region in December was 4.9 percent, unchanged from 4.9 percent in November. Meanwhile, the statewide seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for December was 5.5 percent, down from 5.6 percent in November. It was 6.6 percent in December 2014.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/1/365841/metro-gainesville-jobless-rate-ticks-up-for-december-remains-lowest-in-the-state