Stephens Co. Unemployment Rises in January

Initial unemployment numbers from the state show that Stephens County starts 2016 with a jump in the unemployment rate.

According to figures released today by the Georgia Department of Labor, Stephens County had a preliminary unemployment rate in January of an even 6 percent.

That is three-tenths of a percentage point higher than the revised December rate of 5.7 percent, but 1.3 percentage points lower than the revised rate for January 2015, which was 7.3 percent.

Stephens County had a total labor force in January of 10,671. That is up from 10,645 in December, but down from January 2015, when the labor force was 10,815.

Meanwhile, Stephens County had 10,034 employed persons in January. That is slightly off December’s figure of 10,040, but slightly up from January 2015, when the employed number sat at 10,029.

The Georgia Mountains region that contains Stephens County also saw an increase in the unemployment rate in January.

State Labor Department Communications Director Sam Hall said the Georgia Mountains regional preliminary unemployment rate for January of 4.7 percent was up three-tenths of a percentage point from December, but still 1.1 percentage points below the rate in January 2015.

“The reason the rate went up in January is because the number of employed workers dropped,” said Hall. “In fact, it dropped by 1,254. Also, there was an increase in the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits. It was up 12.3 percent.”

Looking at other area counties, Franklin County saw its preliminary unemployment rate stay the same in January at 5.3 percent; Habersham County’s preliminary unemployment rate went up half a percentage point to 5.4 percent in January; and Banks County had a three-tenth of a percentage point increase in its preliminary unemployment rate to 4.9 percent in January.