July Jobless Rate Up in PTC, But Still Among State's Lowest

The unemployment rate rose slightly in July in many places in metro Atlanta, including Gwinnett County, according to state labor department data released Thursday.

Still, rates were far better than a year ago, the Georgia Department of Labor said in a news release.

Gwinnett County’s rate was up one-tenth of a percentage point, rising from 5.5 percent in June to 5.6 in July. The rate in July 2014 was 6.9 percent.

In Peachtree Corners, one of three Gwinnett cities included in the labor department data, the unemployment rate was 3.6 percent, up from 3.4 in June. The city’s rate was second behind Brookhaven (3.1 percent) among cities of 25,000 or more. The rate last year at this time was 4.3 percent.

• Find a job on the Peachtree Corners Patch Jobs Board.

The two other Gwinnett County cities with populations of more than 25,000 also saw increases:

• Duluth: 5.8 percent in July, up from 5.6 in June. The July 2014 rate was 7.5.
• Lawrenceville: 7.4 percent in July, up from 6.7 in June. The July 2014 rate was 9.0.

The metro rate was up one-tenth to 6.1 percent last month. The rate was 7.6 at the same time last year.

The labor department said the rate rose as more job seekers entered the labor force looking for work. Despite an increase in new jobs, some were unable to find work and were counted among the unemployed, which, along with an increase in new layoffs, contributed to the rate increase.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.5 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 8.3 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for July was 6.0 percent, down from 6.1 percent in June. It was 7.2 percent in July 2014.

Note: Local area unemployment data is not seasonally adjusted.

Scroll through the attachment below for more unemployment info:

July 2015 GA Area Unemployment Rates