GDOL reports Georgia Mountains region breaks records for August

The Georgia Mountains region continues to set records for employment.

According to Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler, the 13-county area saw its unemployment rate and claims fall in August.

A major indicator that the region will remain positive for the year.

Butler told WNEG News that it has become routine for the region to set records.

The August unemployment rate fell to 3.1 percent, down by .3 from July. It was 4.2 percent one year ago.

Butler says the labor force fell in August by 3,993 to reach 348,834 total members. He notes that this number has climbed by more than 7,400 over the past 12 months.

The Georgia Mountains region lost 2,837 employed residents in August, pushing its total to 337,886.

That number has grown by 10,918 over the past year.

According to Butler, initial claims for unemployment fell by about 40 percent for the month of August and down by about 15 percent from last year.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 1,683 active job postings in the Georgia Mountains region for August.

The Georgia Mountains region includes Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union and White counties.

For additional information visit www.dol.georgia.gov.