NEWS - Work Force & Career Development

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler has announced that Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 10.4 percent in January, once again hitting the all-time high. The December rate, originally reported as a preliminary 10.2 percent, has been revised upward to 10.4 percent. The state’s jobless rate was also 10.4 percent in January 2010.

“Georgia’s job market for the past year has basically been flat,” said Butler. “Although the rate dipped to 10 percent temporarily last summer, for the past seven months it has trended upward. Other troubling signs are that in the same 12-month period, the number of jobs has shown a miniscule increase, while the number of long-term unemployed has increased significantly.”

In January, there were 3,772,100 payroll jobs, up 2,200, or one-tenth of a percentage point, from 3,769,900 in January 2010. There was a decrease of 68,800, or 1.8 percent, from 3,840,900 in December. Most of the decreases came among seasonal workers in construction, trade, leisure and hospitality, and administrative and support services.

January marked the 40th consecutive month Georgia has exceeded the national unemployment rate, which is currently 9.0 percent.

One positive over-the-year signal is that the number of Georgians filing first-time claims for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits in January decreased by 5,605, or 5.9 percent, to 89,659 from 95,264 filed in January 2010.