August 2019: Southern Georgia makes gains

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Southern Georgia region gained ground across the board in August.

Preliminary numbers show that the unemployment rate and number of claims both fell while the 18-county region added employed residents and grew its labor force.

“Georgia had another strong month in August,” said Butler. “The state set several records. Our local communities saw fewer unemployment claims filed as well as a drop in unemployment rates.”

Nationally, the unemployment rate was unchanged in August at 3.7 percent. The nation also grew its labor force, increased the number of employed residents and added more 130,000 jobs.

Georgia’s unemployment rate also held constant in August, staying at 3.6 percent.  A year ago, Georgia’s unemployment rate sat at 3.8 percent. The state’s all-time low of 3.4 percent was set in December 2000.

Rates fell or held steady across 10 of Georgia’s 12 planning regions.

In the region, the August unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points, coming in at 3.9 percent.  It was 4.3 percent one year ago.

The labor force increased in August by 906 to reach 179,432 total members. The number has increased by 3,097 over the past 12 months.

The Southern Georgia region gained 1,286 employed residents in August, bringing its total to 172,501. That number has increased by 3,757 over the past year.

Initial claims for unemployment decreased by about 42 percent in August. They are down by about 14 percent when compared to last August.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 1,294 active job postings in the Southern Georgia region for August.

The Southern Georgia Regional Commission includes Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Pierce, Tift, Turner, and Ware counties.