Northwest Georgia’s unemployment rate rises to 5.2 percent in December

The unemployment rate in the Northwest Georgia region in December was 5.2 percent, up two-tenths of a percentage point from 5 percent in November. In December 2015, the rate was also 5.2 percent.

The rate rose as the number of unemployed residents, labor force and number of new layoffs increased.

There were 847 more unemployed residents and the labor force grew by 2,127 to 409,468. The labor force consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed, but actively looking for jobs.

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, rose by 1,196, or 45.5 percent, to 3,823 in December. Most of the increase came in manufacturing and construction, along with trade, transportation and warehousing. Over the year, claims were down by 4,975, or 56.5 percent, from 8,798 in December 2015.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.2 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha and River Valley regions had the highest at 6.6 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for December was 5.4 percent, up from 5.3 percent in November. It was 5.5 percent in December 2015.

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service, employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employers. In December, 2,444 new job openings in Northwest Georgia were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 57,920 new job openings were posted.