Polk County’s Unemployment Rate Drops in July

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Polk County’s unemployment rate decreased in July.

Additionally, Polk County saw monthly increases in labor force and employment in July.

“As the state continues to reopen, we are going to see wild fluctuations up and down of the unemployment rate across the state,” said Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler.  “The numbers that we really need to focus on are the most important ones, such as increases in workforce and employment which we are continuing to see in almost all regions and counties.”

In Polk County, the unemployment rate decreased in July to 6.6 percent, a decrease of 0.4 percentage points. A year ago, the rate was 4 percent.

The labor force increased in July by 168. The July total was 18,020. That number is down by 515 from the total from July 2019.

Polk County ended July with 16,827 employed residents.  The number increased by 228 in July but was down 972 as compared to last year.

Initial claims for unemployment decreased by 17 percent in July. When compared to last July, claims were up by about 1,303 percent.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 143 active job postings in Polk County for July.