The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that the unemployment rate in the Northwest Georgia region in October was 5.1 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 5.3 percent in September. The rate in October 2015 was 5.5 percent.
As the rate declined, there were more employed workers and fewer new layoffs, officials said.
The number of employed residents increased by 902 to 386,532, while the number of unemployed decreased by 595 to 20,895. The labor force, which consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed but actively looking for jobs, rose by 307 to 407,427.
Initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, declined by 253, or 9.2 percent, to 2,511 in October. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 780, or 23.7 percent, from 3,291 in October 2015.
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, 3,181 new job openings in the Northeast Georgia region 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 on social media, visit www.dol.georgia.gov.