State jobless rate rises to 8.6 percent in December

While the number of Georgia jobs decreased by 400 last month, it rose by 70,200, or 1.8 percent, to 3,985,800 over the course of the year from December 2011.

Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point to 8.6 percent last month according to Thursday's report from the Georgia Department of Labor. Despite the slight increase from November, the rate was still lower than it was in December a year ago when it was 9.4 percent. If you're seeking employment, make sure to check out the Midtown Patch Jobs page that is populated with jobs from Indeed.com. State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said there were three reasons for the uptick, and expressed overall optimism. “We had a modest increase in new layoffs, along with a small job loss driven primarily by seasonal layoffs in education," Butler said in a news release. "Basically, the December numbers are flat…

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Georgia’s jobless rate lowest in almost four years

The state's unemployment rate dips to 8.5 percent in November, its lowest figure since January 2009.

Staff Report The Georgia Department of Labor said Thursday that Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 8.5 percent in November, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 8.7 percent in October. The rate was 9.5 percent in November a year ago. “This is the lowest state unemployment rate in nearly four years, since it was 8.5 percent in January 2009,” said State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler in a news release. “Once again, the rate dropped because of continued job growth and fewer new layoffs.”   The number of jobs increased to 3,984,000, up by 9,600, or two-tenths of a percentage point, from 3,974,400 in October. The monthly growth came mostly in trade, transportation, and warehousing, up 12,400; educational services…

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State's unemployment rate declines to 8.7 percent in October

Georgia added more than 36,000 jobs last month to push the number of jobs to its highest level in almost four years.

Staff Report The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 8.7 percent in October, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 9.0 percent in September. The jobless rate was 9.7 percent in October a year ago. “The unemployment rate dropped because we had an increase of 36,000 new jobs, which is the largest September to October job increase ever,” State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said in a release. “That job growth pushed the number of jobs in October to the highest level in any month since December of 2008.”   There were 3,971,700 jobs in October, up nine-tenths of a percentage point, from 3,935,700 in September. The growth came in retail trade, up 8,000; education …

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Atlanta housing market slow despite jobs growth

State's jobless rate has dropped for seven straight months, while Atlanta average home sale prices have dropped almost 15 percent in the last year.

State unemployment rate lowest in nearly three years

State labor department statistics highlight job growth. Meanwhile, Atlantic Station has a job opportunity that will get you noticed.

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler announced Thursday that Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined in January to 9.2 percent, the lowest rate since March of 2009 when it was 9.1 percent. That is a decline of two-tenths of a percentage point from a revised 9.4 percent in December according to the Georgia Department of Labor. The jobless rate was 10.1 percent in January 2011. The rate went down because about 13,000 more Georgians were employed in January than in December. Also, newly revised numbers show that Georgia gained 83,700 jobs in the last 12 months. This is the largest January to January job growth since 2006. “This job growth shows that Georgia is headed in the right direction,” Commissioner Butler said in a …

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