Georgia's Unemployment Rate Increases in December

Georgia is trying hard to shake the reputation that people who receive unemployment benefits here, stay on them for longer than the rest of the nation. Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler released a statement yesterday insisting Georgians come off state unemployment benefits earlier than the rest of the country.

Recent media reports, including a piece in the Wall Street Journal that profiled Roswell residents, say about 40 percent of those receiving unemployment in the metro Atlanta region have been doing so for at least one year - compared to the national average of 29 percent.

But on Wednesday, Jan. 25, the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) shared some of their own statistics. According to the department, as of December 2011, the average Georgian - beyond just the metro area - on state unemployment insurance stopped benefits after 13.3 weeks, compared to the national average of 17.4 weeks.

Butler said Georgians stop their state unemployment payments sooner because the GDOL ties benefits to job training and to a bevy of re-employment services.

“When people think of a labor department, traditionally they think of the ‘unemployment office,’” Commissioner Butler said. “In Georgia, we are trying to stop that. This is an ‘employment office.’ We strive for that designation.”

Unfortunately, an increase in the December 2011 unemployment rate in metro Atlanta means there will be more people for the "employment office" to assist.

According to preliminary statistics released today, Jan. 26, the department announced the state unemployment rate had risen to 9.4 percent in December 2011, . At 7.2 percent, Alpharetta is only behind Roswell with the lowest unemployment rate in the state, among cities with a population over 50,000. But also like Roswell, Alpharetta's unemployment rate is up one-tenth of a percentage point from November 2011 figures.

Alpharetta Labor Force Estimates (not seasonally adjusted)*

The rate increased because there were layoffs in construction, manufacturing, retail trade, administrative and support services, as well as accommodations and food services.

Metro Athens and Warner Robins had the lowest area rates at 7.3 percent, while metro Dalton had the highest at 12.1 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined in December for the third straight month, dropping to 9.7 percent, down from a revised 9.8 percent in November. The jobless rate was 10.4 percent in December a year ago.

The state rate declined because 11,500 Georgians went back to work in December. Statewide, there were 600 new construction jobs, and manufacturing grew by 400 jobs. Job gains also came in information services and trade and transportation

*Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Statistics & Economic Research