State Unemployment Rate Dips Slightly in July

Georgia’s unemployment rate dipped in July by a percentage point to 3.6 percent.

That’s down from 3.8 percent a year ago and down slightly from the national rate last month, which stood at 3.7 percent.

Georgia’s labor force slipped again in July, dropping by less than 1,000 versus a total work force of more than 5.1 million.

Even with the monthly loss, the labor force total remained higher than the same month a year ago.

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Georgia added jobs again in July as the state’s unemployment rate approached an all-time low.

“You have to look at those numbers behind the unemployment rate,” Butler said. “The things that I’m concerned about right now are, are we continuing to create jobs. Are we continuing to actually get people to get employed, and are we continuing to see those unemployment numbers go down. We did see a significant drop in the total number of people unemployed. Those are the numbers I’m concerned about, setting records in those areas.”

Additionally, Georgia added 3,400 jobs in July, pushing the total to 4.62 million jobs – a new record for the state.  That number is up nearly 75,000 from the same time last year.

“The good news for Georgia is most sectors are all doing very well. You’ll see an occasional drop for this month or that month, but a lot of that has to do with seasonal factors. Overall, you’re seeing a very solid, across-the-board job growth across the state,” Butler said.

Georgia had two job sectors that added at least 1,000 jobs in July.

They were Professional/business services, which added 1,800 new jobs last month, and Trade/transportation/utilities that added 1,000 new jobs.

And if you’re looking for work and need help in your job search, the Career Coach will be at the Lavonia-Carnegie Library in Lavonia today from 10a to 2p.

The Career Coach helps job seekers search for and apply for jobs, write resume’s and cover letters, and determine their career interests, and there is no charge for their services.

The Lavonia-Carnegie library is located at 28 Hartwell Rd. in Lavonia just down from the Lavonia Post Office.

You can also go to the Georgia Department of Labor’s Employ Georgia web site at www.employgeorgia.com.