Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Dalton’s initial claims drastically increased in March.
Due to the effects of COVID-19, all MSA’s throughout the state saw a dramatic incline in initial claims along with the unemployment rate.
“Although we are seeing the effects of COVID-19 throughout the state in spikes in unemployment, we are working very diligently to come up with solutions to get Georgians back to work as soon as it is safe to do so,” Commissioner Butler said.
In Dalton, the unemployment rate increased 0.7 percentage points in March, reaching 5.1 percent.
A year ago, the rate was 4.6 percent.
The number of unemployment claims went up by 443 percent in March, which directly correlated with the number of temporary lay-offs associated with COVID-19. When compared to last March, claims were up by about 149 percent.
Dalton ended March with 65,600 jobs. That number decreased by 100 from April to March and was down by 1,000 when compared to this time last year.
The labor force decreased in March by 541 and ended the month with 58,610. That number is down 805 when compared to March of 2019.
Dalton finished the month with 55,627 employed residents. That number decreased by 937 over the month and is down by 1,068 when compared to the same time a year ago.
Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed about 666 active job postings in metro Dalton for March.
In Northwest Georgia, the unemployment rate increased in March to 4.2 percent, an increase of 0.6 percentage points. A year ago, the rate was 3.6 percent.
The number of unemployment claims dramatically increased by 895 percent in March due to COVID-19 related temporary lay-offs. When compared to last March, claims were up by about 680 percent.
The labor force decreased in March by 2,759. The March total was 423,953. That number is up by 4,300 from the total from March 2018.
Northwest Georgia ended March with 405,999 employed residents. The number decreased by 5,557 in March and was up 1,327 as compared to last year.
Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 3,261 active job postings in Northwest Georgia for March.
Visit gdol.ga.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia, and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers.