Northwest Georgia’s unemployment rate rises to 5.9 percent in February

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor announced that the unemployment rate in the Northwest Georgia region in February was 5.9 percent, up three-tenths of a percentage point from 5.6 percent in January. The rate in February 2015 was 6.2 percent.

The rate rose because the number of unemployed residents increased by 1,254, as the labor force grew 3,070.

At the same time, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined in the region by 6,157, or 59.9 percent, to 4,123 in February. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing, administrative and support services, and construction. However, over the year, claims were up by 404, or 10.9 percent, from 3,719 in February 2015.    

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.6 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha and River Valley regions had the highest at 7.1 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for February was 5.4 percent, unchanged from January. It was 6.2 percent in February 2015.

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said job seekers and employers should use the GDOL’s online job listing service, www.employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees.  In February, 3,135 jobs in the Northwest Georgia area were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 77,004 jobs were posted.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.georgia.gov.

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