Nov. jobless rate unchanged

However, the rates have significantly improved over the last year.

The jobless rate in Floyd County held the line at 4.7 percent from October to November.

The real improvement came over the year, with the unemployment rate dropping from 5.5 percent since November 2016. The Georgia Department of Labor indicates that 357 more Floyd County residents were working last month than in November a year ago.

The unemployment report tracks individuals by their residence, and shows that just over 42,000 Floyd residents are on somebody’s payroll. It does not necessarily indicate they are working in Floyd County. However, the jobs report which came out a week ago did indicate that the number of jobs linked to companies in Floyd was up to 41,700 in November.

“There are a lot of opportunities around the region but we also employ people from other counties and from across the state line,” Al Hodge, president of the Rome Floyd Chamber said. “We still have more people travel in than travel out for employment.”

The jobless rate in Bartow County was unchanged from October to November at 4.1 percent. Chattooga and Walker counties were unchanged at 4.2 percent.

Polk’s unemployment rate decreased from 4.8 to 4.7 percent. Gordon registered a slight increase in its unemployment rate from 4.2 per cent in October to 4.4 percent in November. Whitfield saw an even larger increase from 4.7 to 5.1 percent.

Hodge described the monthly report released by the Georgia Department of Labor as a gauge but not an ultimate indicator of how the county is doing. Prospective employers tend to look at numbers relative to a potential workforce.

“They’re not the gold standard, but they are an important indicator,” Hodge said.