Last week, the Georgia Department of Labor says regular initial unemployment claims dropped to just under 20,000 over the previous week.

That’s the lowest number of weekly claims so far this year. But the eye opener is only ten percent of those claims were reported as layoffs. Which means many are still using their benefits as a way to put off looking for work. A lot of that was fueled by the state’s participation in bonus federal money offered through the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan. But that stopped late last month.

In the meantime, it’s hard to miss signs posted outside restaurants and other businesses that say “We’re hiring.”

GNN