Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Northwest Georgia’s unemployment rate significantly decreased by 1.1 percentage points in October.
Additionally, Northwest Georgia saw a monthly increase in both labor force and employment for October.
“In October, every region and county saw unemployment rates dramatically decrease, including some areas that dropped to pre-pandemic numbers, demonstrating how strong our economy was across the state prior to the crisis and how we are successfully recovering,” said Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler. “We have a significant number of jobs available on EmployGeorgia from all parts of the state for those looking for new career opportunities. Filling these jobs will be critical for continuing the growth we need to progress economically.”
Dalton saw its unemployment rate drop a substantial 0.8 percentage points in October.
Dalton also saw monthly improvements across almost every major indicators, including labor force, number of employed residents, and initial claims for October.
In Dalton, the unemployment rate decreased 0.8 percentage points in October, reaching 4.3 percent.
A year ago, the rate was 4.6 percent.
The labor force increased in Dalton by 1,727 and ended the month with 56,882. That number is down 2,187 when compared to October of 2019.
Dalton finished the month with 54,451 employed residents. That number increased by 2,091 over the month but is down by 1,880 when compared to the same time a year ago.
Dalton ended October with 63,500. jobs. That number decreased by 200 from September to October and decreased by 2,700 when compared to this time last year.
The number of unemployment claims went down by 15 percent in Dalton. When compared to last October, claims were up by about 231 percent.
In Northwest Georgia, the unemployment rate decreased by 1.1 percentage points, dropping the rate to 3.5 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.2 percent.
The labor force increased in October by 14,698. The October total was 418,639. That number is down by 4,368 from the total from October 2019.
Northwest Georgia ended October with 404,152 employed residents. The number increased by 18,808 in October but was down 5,351 as compared to last year.
Initial claims for unemployment decreased by 2 percent in October. When compared to last October, claims were up by about 384 percent.
The GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 5,345 active job postings in Northwest Georgia for October.