The stats. Click on the graphic for a larger image. (Courtesy Georgia Department of Labor)
Latest statistics say unemployment in several Georgia cities rose sharply in recent months. A Georgia Department of Labor report says the unemployment rate statewide spiked from 4.2 to 4.6 percent in December. Those figures are two tenths of a percent below the national average.
Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond:
“This increase is the largest we’ve had for the November – December time period in more than three decades. So that tells us that there are issues that are impacting the economy, the housing front, higher gas prices…”Albany, Augusta, Columbus and Macon showed the steepest increases in unemployment of Georgia cities – all over five percent.
Thurmond says that among the fields affected by the slowdown are construction, manufacturing, employment services, and the leisure and hospitality services.
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