The Georgia Department of Labor statistics reveal that metro Atlanta’s unemployment rates rose in the month of January, and both the city and state have jobless rates higher than the national average.
The unemployment rate has risen to 6.2 percent in greater Atlanta, up from 6 percent in December.
State labor executives attribute Atlanta metropolitan area’s increase in unemployment to the loss of approximately 35,100 jobs, many of them seasonal/temporary jobs that ended after the holiday season.
Interesting facts about Atlanta and Georgia:
- metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate for December at 5.2 percent.
- The Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest rate at 8.3 percent.
- Statewide, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for January was 6.4 percent. That’s down from 6.6 percent in December.
- For the core metro Atlanta counties, Cobb and Gwinnett had the lowest jobless rates at 5.5 percent.
- They were followed by Fulton at 6.5 percent, DeKalb (6.6 percent) and Clayton (8.3 percent).
Despite the monthly loss, mainly in seasonal jobs, Atlanta had the largest January-to-January job growth ever recorded, the labor department said. The metro area added 104,400 jobs — an increase of 4.3 percent from January 2014 when the unemployment rate was 7.1 percent.
Seven job sectors experienced 4 percent growth or higher over the past year. They were: trade, transportation, and warehousing — 26,100 new jobs; professional and business services — 21,400; leisure and hospitality — 16,700; education and health services — 12,900t; financial activities — 7,500; construction — 5,600; and other services — 3,900.
Both the state and metro Atlanta continue to post higher unemployment rates than the national average. That was 5.7 percent in January and fell to 5.5 percent in February. Georgia’s rate for February is scheduled to be released next Thursday.
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