Georgia's Unemployment Rate Falls To All-Time Low

ATLANTA, GA - Georgia’s unemployment rate fell to 3.3 percent in November - the lowest in decades since record keeping began in 1976.

The state also set a jobs record last month – 4.64 million jobs – while the number of employed Georgians also hit an all-time high of 4.96 million.

“I can’t recall us ever having a better month,” Georgia Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler told Capital Beat News Service. “It’s nice to see this at the end of the year. I think we are going to continue to see Georgia move in the right direction.”

Gov. Brian Kemp said the strong numbers are a sign the conservative agenda he and his Republican allies in the General Assembly have embraced is working.

“To keep Georgia the best place to live, work and raise a family, we must support our small businesses, recruit projects of regional significance to our rural communities and dismantle criminal street gangs so our families are safe from harm,” he told the Capital Beat News Service.

Georgia added 6,500 jobs last month, up 69,000 from the same month last year.

The most jobs were added in three areas - trade, transportation, utilities - with 3,200 jobs. Education and health services came close with was close with 3,100 jobs. The construction sector added 2,300 jobs.

“We have seen the labor force start growing again, but it’s still not where I want it to be,” Butler told the Capital News Service. “We need more individuals in the workforce to take all the jobs we have open.”

Georgia’s unemployment rate last month was slightly below the nation’s, which fell 0.1 percent to 3.5 percent.