Metro Atlanta's Jobless Rate Unchanged in December

By Scott Bernarde

(Image: December 2014 jobless rates in metro Atlanta. Credit: GDOL)

The unemployment rate in metro Atlanta remained unchanged in December, but the number of jobs grew slightly, the state labor department said Thursday.

The Georgia Department of Labor said in a press release that the metro’s jobless rate was 6.4 percent in December, the same rate as November.

However, jobs grew by 5,500 (0.2 percent), ending a three-year streak that saw the metro lose an average of 900 jobs from November to December.

The jobless rate for metro Atlanta was 6.8 percent in December 2013.

The labor department also released labor estimates for Georgia counties and some cities.

The unemployment rate in Dunwoody declined from 5.1 percent in November to 4.8 percent in December. For DeKalb County overall, the rate remained steady at 6.7 percent.

• Click here for local jobless data, including DeKalb County

The labor department said most of the new December jobs in metro Atlanta came from industries associated with holiday hiring.

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate in the state at 4.9 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 8.8 percent.

Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December was 6.9 percent, down from 7.2 percent in November.

Note: Local area unemployment data not seasonally adjusted.

Georgia labor market data is available at www.gdol.ga.gov

GA. Unemployment Area Rates - Dec 2014 (1)