State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Wednesday that the number of employed residents and the labor force in the northwest Georgia region rose in November.
Meanwhile, the number of unemployment insurance claims also increased.
“This is a great employment report,” Comm. Butler said. “Local businesses continue to create jobs and people are getting those jobs. A temporary increase in claims doesn’t change our growing, dynamic economy.”
In November the number of residents with jobs rose by 423 to 400,456. From November a year ago, the number of employed residents was up by 11,440 from 389,016.
The area’s labor force, which includes the total number of residents with jobs and those unemployed but looking for work, rose to 418,548, up by 740 in November. The labor force is up by 8,895 since November 2016.
Unemployment claims were up by 32 percent to 2,561. Claims were up in manufacturing. When compared to last November, claims were down by 3 percent from 2,627.
The November unemployment rate, at 4.3 percent, was unchanged from October. The November rate compares favorably to last November when the rate was 5 percent.
Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 2,456 new active job postings in Northwest Georgia for November.