Metro Dalton’s unemployment rate falls to 8.8 percent in October

Published 11:17 pm Friday, November 28, 2014

Metro Dalton’s unemployment rate for October was 8.8 percent, down from 8.9 percent in September. The rate in October of last year was 9.7 percent.

Metro Dalton includes Whitfield and Murray counties.

The rate fell as fewer people were unemployed. The number of unemployed residents in the region declined by 124 to 5,002, down from 5,126 in September.

While the rate declined, Metro Dalton lost 100 jobs in October. The total number of jobs declined to 63,800, down from 63,900, or 0.2 percent, from September. Much of the job loss came in manufacturing.  

An, there was an over-the-year loss of 200 jobs, or 0.3 percent, from 64,000 in October 2013. The losses came in manufacturing and local government, which includes the public schools.  

Also, there were 1,297 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in October, an increase of 157, or 13.8 percent, from 1,140 in September. Most of the increase in claims came in manufacturing and administrative and support services. Over the year, claims were up by 369, or 39.8 percent from 928 filed in October 2013.     

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.4 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 9.3 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for October was 7.7 percent, down from 7.9 percent in September. It was 7.8 percent in October 2013. Georgia added 33,800 new jobs in October and 96,000 since October 2013, pushing its job total to 4,166,400, the largest number since May of 2008.  

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.gdol.ga.gov.

• State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Georgia moved up to fifth in the nation and second in the Southeast in over-the-year job creation in October, compared to sixth and third respectively in September. The state gained 96,000 non-seasonally-adjusted jobs between October 2013 and October 2014, for a growth rate of 2.4 percent. The comparable national job growth rate for the same period was 2 percent.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released the state rankings.

The number of jobs in Georgia totaled 4,166,400 in October, up from 4,070,400 in October 2013, the largest October-to-October job growth in Georgia since 2005. All of the over-the-year growth came in the private sector.

October job growth continued across the board with over-the-year job gains in professional and business services, 32,200; trade, transportation and warehousing, 26,400; leisure and hospitality, 14,900; manufacturing and construction, 7,400 each; education and health services, 5,400; information services, 2,200; and financial services, 1,400. Government lost 600.

The top 10 states and their non-seasonally-adjusted job growth over-the-year include Texas, 436,700 (3.9 percent); California, 342,700 (2.2 percent); Florida, 209,600 (2.7 percent); New York, 106,500 (1.2 percent); Georgia, 96,000 (2.4 percent): North Carolina, 93,300 (2.3 percent); Washington, 73,900 (2.4 percent); Arizona, 66,400 (2.6 percent); Tennessee, 59,500 (2.1 percent); and Colorado, 58,100 (2.4 percent).

Georgia has been in the top 10 states for job creation every month since October 2012.

To learn more about career opportunities, connect with the Department of Labor on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, which can be accessed at www.gdol.ga.gov.