Stephens Co. Unemployment Figures Out for April

The latest figures from the Georgia Department of Labor show a drop in Stephens County’s unemployment rate in April.

According to those numbers, Stephens County had a preliminary unemployment rate of 6.5 percent in April.

That is four-tenths of a percentage point lower than the revised rate for March, which was 6.9 percent, and two-tenths of a percentage point lower than the revised rate for April 2014, which was 6.7 percent.

However, Labor Department numbers also show a declining labor force in Stephens County.

Stephens County’s labor force in April was 10,989.

That is down slightly from the March labor force, which was 11,018, and the April 2014 labor force, which was 11,383.

Stephens County did see an uptick in the number of people employed in April compared to March.

The Labor Department reports that 10,278 were employed in Stephens County in April.

That is slightly higher than the March figure of 10,257, but it is down from the April 2014 figure of 10,616.

Other area counties also saw a drop in their unemployment rates in April.

Franklin County saw its preliminary April unemployment rate drop two-tenths of a percentage point to 6.3 percent; Habersham County saw its preliminary April unemployment rate go down four-tenths of a percentage point to 5.6 percent; and Banks County saw its preliminary April unemployment rate drop four-tenths of a percentage point to 5.3 percent.