Unemployment in NE Georgia ticks up as region sets record for most employed residents.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Northeast Georgia set a record in October for most employed residents with the 12-county region increasing its labor force, but the unemployment rate increased across all 12 regions statewide. The Northeast Georgia region includes Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Jasper, Madison, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, and Walton counties.

Butler said the key indicators were positive for the year for the Northeast Georgia region.

“Georgia’s job market has been strong all year, across all 12 regions,” Butler said. “We continue to add jobs, employed residents and grow our labor force. We have much to be thankful for.”

The unemployment rate for NE Georgia for October, at 3.4 percent, was up .4 percent over the previous month. A year ago, the rate was 4.1 percent. The October rate in NE Georgia tied for second among the 12 regions.

It was noted in a press release that the labor force in Northeast Georgia climbed by 2,648 in October to reach 310,885, up by 6,870 over the past year. This is an average monthly increase of about 570.

Northeast Georgia gained 1,421 employed residents in October, pushing the total to 300,445. The number is up 8,925 for the year, or nearly 745 per month- an all-time high. At the same time, claims for unemployment insurance rose by 32 percent in October. They were up by two percent when compared to the same month a year ago.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 2,666 active job postings in metro Northeast Georgia for October.

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