Job News: GA Unemployment Rate At 7-Year Low in August

Georgia’s unemployment rate dipped below 6 percent for the first time in seven years last month, the state department of labor said Thursday.

The rate of 5.9 percent in August was one-tenth of a percentage point down from July and 1.2 lower than a year ago.

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“This is the first time Georgia’s unemployment rate has dropped below six percent since May 2008,” State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said in a news release. “The rate declined as our employers laid off the fewest workers for any month in more than 15 years and continued to create jobs.”

Jobless rates for metro areas, cities and counties are due next week.

The labor department said the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance in Georgia fell 25.8 percent in August, and 15.4 percent in the past year. Meanwhile, the number of jobs in Georgia has grown by 2 percent.

Butler encourages job seekers to utilize the GDOL’s new job listing service, EmployGeorgia, where employers posted 75,207 jobs throughout the state in August. Visit www.employgeorgia.comto learn more.