Stephens Co. July Unemployment Numbers Out

The latest county unemployment numbers from the Georgia Department of Labor show a rising unemployment rate for Stephens County for the month of July.

According to the Labor Department figures, Stephens County had a preliminary unemployment rate of 7.0 percent for the month of July.

That is up four-tenths of a percentage point from the revised rate for June, which was 6.6 percent.

This July’s preliminary unemployment rate is 1.9 percentage points lower than the July 2014 revised rate of 8.9 percent.

However, the labor force has declined from July 2014 to this July by nearly 500, from 11,311 last July to 10,835 this July.

Also, fewer people are employed this July than in 2014, as there were 10,303 people employed in July 2014 and 10,080 people employed this July.

This July’s labor force and number of employed are also down from June, when the labor force was 10,912 and there were 10,194 people employed.

Looking elsewhere around the area, neighboring counties also saw their unemployment rates rise in July when looking at June.

Franklin County saw its preliminary July unemployment rate rise four-tenths of a percentage point to 7.3 percent, Habersham County’s preliminary July unemployment rate is also four-tenths of a percentage point higher at 6.3 percent, and Banks County had a preliminary unemployment rate in July that is four-tenths of a percentage point higher at 6.2 percent.