Georgia unemployment rate, job numbers set new records

Georgia’s unemployment rate fell again last month to a record-low 2.8%, while the Peach State hit an all-time high in job numbers, the Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday.

The jobless rate declined slightly in July from 2.9% in June and was seven-tenths of a percent lower than the national unemployment rate of 3.5%.

The number of jobs in Georgia rose last month to an all-time high of more than 4.8 million, up 12,500 from June and 214,300 from July of last year. Job numbers were at record highs in the trade and transportation; financial activities; professional, scientific, and technical services; and education and health services sectors.

“Georgia’s job numbers continue to climb, reinforcing the state’s position as one of the nation’s best places to find employment,” Georgia Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler said Thursday.

“These all-time highs in multiple sectors demonstrate the employment opportunities the state is experiencing across the board.” On the downside, initial unemployment claims increased by 11% last month from June to 28,545. However, firsttime jobless claims have fallen significantly during the past year and are down 52%, or 30,266, from July 2021. There are more than 217,000 jobs listed online at EmployGeorgia.com, resulting in a minimum of more than 285,000 unfilled positions. Industries with more than 10,000 job postings include health care; retail trade; accommodation and food services; manufacturing; professional, scientific, and technical services; finance and insurance; and transportation and warehousing.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.