Georgia Hits Record 5.48 Million Labor Force as Unemployment Holds at 3.4%

2 articles · Updated · Discover Dade · Jul 16

Georgia’s labor force rose by 7,179 in June to a record 5,477,859, while employment climbed 10,359 to an all-time high 5,294,229 and unemployment fell by 3,180.
The state’s unemployment rate held at 3.4% for a second straight month, 0.8 percentage point below the national rate but slightly above 3.3% a year earlier.
Payroll jobs moved the other way, dropping 10,100 over the month to 4,988,900 after three months of gains, led lower by transportation, warehousing and utilities, local government and state government.
Over the past year, payrolls were up just 6,000, with health care and social assistance adding 23,500 jobs while federal government, transportation and professional services posted the biggest declines.
Initial jobless claims increased by 2,374 from May to 18,762 in June, though they remained 895 below a year earlier.