Polk preliminary unemployment hits new low
Unemployment figures released by the state during the holidays have Polk County dropping further in the percentage of people without jobs heading into the final month of the year.
How the county’s labor force will finish out the year won’t be released until later in January, but the preliminary figures reported by the Department of Labor for November 2019 stood at 2.9%, down two-tenths of a percentage point from October’s record tying 3.1% in back-to-back months in the fall.
If the preliminary rate were to hold come time to report December’s figures, the 2.9% rate for November would be the new low on record.
For more than a year unemployment has been in low single digits in Polk County. Last year in November, the rate sat at 3.6%.
Some 17,814 people were employed in the county out of 18,348 who are eligible to hold jobs in November. That left only 534 seeking unemployment insurance heading into the holiday season.
That would mean that Polk County added another 17 people to the employed labor force netting additional job gains after five were added in October.
In November, claims for unemployment insurance were slightly up month to month, but from year to year the claims were down 32 percent based on figures provided the Department of Labor for 2018’s adjusted claims. Around the area, unemployment continues to fall.
The rate fell another three-tenths of a point from October to November in Paulding County, going from 2.6 to 2.3% as the year was winding down. Haralson County saw their own three-tenths drop from 3.0 to 2.7% month over month, and Gordon County dropped four-tenths of a point from 3.1 to 2.7%.
Floyd County saw a decrease from 3.3 to 3.1% between October and November, and Bartow went from a 2.9 to 2.6% from one month to the next.
“This November we had great job numbers across the board,” Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said. “The state had an all-time low unemployment rate and many of our local communities set records too. Overall, it was quite a spectacular month when it comes to the jobs report.”
Statewide, the November rate stood at 3.3%, down from a revised 3.4% in October. The rate was 3.7% statewide this time last year. That’s with seasonal adjustments considered as well. If those are thrown out, the rate is down to 2.7% on a preliminary basis.
Nationwide, unemployment stood at 3.5%.