Unemployment sees slight uptick

The unemployment rate continues to bounce around as the latest local figures for the number of jobless seeking benefits went up a one-tenth of a point in April.

According to figures released by the Georgia Department of Labor on May 25, Polk County’s preliminary unemployment rate was at 5.4 percent for the month of April, which is up compared to the revised figure of 5.3 percent for March 2017 locally.

In terms of people, that means that 978 people sought unemployment benefits out of a labor force of 18,254 workers over the age of 16 eligible to hold a job. That’s compared to a revised figure of 970 people out of 18,285 available workers.

Compared to April 2016, the rate is down five tenth of a percentage point. Last year at this time, some 18,075 people were in the workforce, but 1,058 were out of a job.

Though the latest figures released by the Department of Labor show only a slight uptick in the number of people who aren’t employed in the workforce at the moment — a total of 8 — the number of jobless in the county continues to decline since the New Year. In February, the rate was at 5.9 percent. And in the region as a whole, the un- employment rate continues to decline. Northwest Georgia continues to show job growth having seen their rate decrease to 4.6 percent in the region.

There were 462 more Northwest Georgia area residents employed in April than in March, pushing the total number to 393,826. There were 10,533 more people employed in April than in April 2016.

Although there were more employed residents, the labor force, which consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed and actively looking for jobs, declined by 447 to 412,991. That total represents an increase of 9,420 over the past 12 months.

The number of initial claims for un- employment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, declined by 1,582, or 43.1 percent, to 2,087. The decrease came in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 699, or 25.1 percent, from 2,786 in April 2016.

Georgia itself has also seen decreases. In past weeks, the State labor officials say Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate has decreased to 5 percent.

It’s down from 5.1 percent in March; and 5.4 percent in April 2016.

The lowest unemployment rate in the state currently is in the Metro Gainesville area, which has a 3.9 percent unemployment rate.