River Valley posts record in October

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that River Valley’s unemployment rate remained in October at its record low.

While the rate was unchanged, the 16-county region added to its labor force and number of employed residents, preliminary numbers show. Unemployment claims rose for the month.

“October was a great month for Georgia and our local communities,” Butler said. “We continued to create jobs and people gained employment – often at record numbers.”

Nationally, the unemployment rate climbed in October to 3.6 percent, an increase of 0.1 percentage points. The nation also grew to its labor force by 325,000, increased employment by 241,000 and added more 125,000 jobs.

Georgia’s unemployment rate, meanwhile, fell in October by 0.1 percentage points to 3.4 percent. That tied Georgia’s all-time low set in December of 2000.

Rates fell or held steady across nine of Georgia’s 12 planning regions. Seven set or tied a record for lowest rate ever.

In River Valley, the unemployment rate remained at 3.9 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4.8 percent.

The labor force in River Valley increased by 857 in October, bringing the total to 147,208. The number has decreased by 1,619 when compared to the same month a year ago.

River Valley added 907 employed residents in October, bringing the total to 141,520. The number is down 109 for the year.

Claims for unemployment insurance were up by about 75 percent in October. They were down by about 15 percent when compared to the same month a year ago.

The River Valley area includes Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, and Webster counties.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 3,485 active job postings in River Valley for October.