Gordon County labor force improves in July

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Gordon County grew its labor force and number of employed residents again in July.

At the same time, the county area saw its unemployment rate rise slightly and more claims for unemployment insurance filed. Still, all major indicators remain positive for the year.

“Georgia continues to be in a period of sustained growth,” Butler said. “There are no indicators in July that Georgia is going to slow down anytime soon. These seasonal dips are normal for this time of year and are temporary in nature.”

The July unemployment rate inched up 0.1 percent to 4.2 percent in July. It was 5 percent one year ago.

The labor force increased by 150 in July to reach 27,399 total members. Over the past year Gordon grew its labor force by 501, adding more than 40 per month.

Gordon County added 103 employed residents in July, pushing its total to 26,236. The region, over the past year, has averaged adding more than 55 employed residents a month.

Initial claims for unemployment grew by about 122 percent for the month. They are also up by about 36 percent when compared to last July.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia. com showed 189 active job postings in Gordon County for July.

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