Northeast Georgia’s Unemployment Rate Declines to 7.8 percent in February

(This was from a press release from the Georgia Department of Labor)

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the Northeast Georgia region’s unemployment rate declined to 7.8 percent in February, down four-tenths of a percentage point from 8.2 percent in January. The rate was 8.9 percent in February a year ago.

The rate declined because there were fewer new layoffs, which were represented by initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits.

The number of first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits fell by 1,526 from 3,540 in January to 2,014 in February. The decreases came mostly in construction, manufacturing, trade, transportation, and warehousing, administrative and support services, and health care and social assistance. And, the number of initial claims was down over-the-year by 362 from 2,376 in February 2012. Most of the over-the-year decline came in the same industries as the monthly decline.

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 6.1 percent, while the Heart of Geoergia-Altamaha region had the highest at 11.2 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February was 8.6 percent, down from 8.7 percent in January. The rate was 9.2 percent in February a year ago.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.state.ga.us

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