ATLANTA – State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said today that the unemployment and jobs picture in the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region looked bright in August.

Butler said Wednesday that in August the unemployment rate was just 6.1 percent, unemployment claims fell and employment growth continued to climb.  

“The August numbers show the area’s economy and outlook for employment remains healthy,” said Butler.

The August unemployment rate was down from 6.5 percent in July. A decline of 116 in the labor force contributed to the decline in the monthly rate which can be attributed to school age workers returning to their educational institutions. That compares favorably to last August when the rate was 7 percent.

Unemployment claims were down by 44.7 percent   – another good sign for the region’s economy. Claims were down in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 12.9 percent from August 2016.

The total number of employed residents in the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha area rose to 109,686 in August. There were 2,469 more area residents employed than in August 2016.

“Georgia continues to be one of the leaders in job creation and employment,” Butler said. “It’s great to see our employers continue to create jobs, and Georgians going back to work.”.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at  employgeorgia.com showed 852 new active job postings in Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region for August.

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