The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that Metro Dalton’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 6 percent from September to October. The rate in October 2015 was 6.2 percent.
While the rate was unchanged, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, declined by 38, or 3.8 percent, to 965 in October. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 162, or 14.4 percent, from 1,127 in October 2015.
The number of employed residents declined by 399 to 57,454, while the number unemployed decreased by 15 to 3,646. The labor force, which consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed but actively looking for jobs, declined by 414 to 61,100.
The number of jobs decreased by 300, or 0.4 percent, to 68,200. Most of the job losses came in textile manufacturing.
Over the year, the area lost 400 jobs, a 0.6 percent job loss rate. Most of the job losses came in textile manufacturing.
Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.4 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 7 percent.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for October was 5.2 percent, up from 5.1 percent in September. It was 5.5 percent in October 2015.
Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service, www.employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employers. In October, 589 new job openings in Dalton were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 70,200 new job openings were posted.
Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.georgia.gov
To learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers, and to connect with us on social media, visit www.dol.georgia.gov