GDOL reports an increase in local labor numbers and a decrease in claims at the end of 2018

Unemployment claims are going down, Polk County’s labor force is increasing and overall the outlook for finding a job is much better than it was during the deepest part of the recession in years past.

The Georgia Department of Labor released December 2018 initial figures that put Polk County in a positive position for future economic growth, as the un-adjusted unemployment rate sat at 4.1 percent for the month, down six-tenths of a percentage point from December 2017’s figure of 4.7 percent.

According to the GDOL release, initial claims also went down with a growth in the labor force.

“Last year was a strong one in terms of gains for the economy and jobs,” Butler said in the release. “We saw new records set across the state. Our unemployment rate continued to trend downward. Jobs were created and more Georgians became employed.”

The labor force increased in December by 50 to reach 18,528 total members. The number has climbed by 95 over the past 12 months, about 8 per month.

Initial claims for unemployment were down by about 27 percent for the month. They were up by about 14 percent when compared to last December.

The statewide unemployment rate sat at 3.6 percent for December 2018, compared to the 3.9 percent reported nationally. Regionally, numbers were positive as well. Bartow County saw their rate go up slightly for the initial claims in December, but overall was down to 3.7 percent compared to the 4.1 percent of a year before. Carroll was also at 3.7 percent, as well as Haralson County. Floyd County saw an increase for the month to 4.4 percent, but was still a tenth of a percentage point down from December 2017.

The month-ending unemployment news came a day after the Federal Reserve chair announced that rates on borrowing from the U.S. Treasury would be decreasing downward amid concerns of slowing inflation and a tightening globally of economic forecasts.