Bartow Unemployment Rates Increase

The Georgia Department of Labor announced yesterday that the preliminary unadjusted unemployment rates in metro Atlanta and Northwest Georgia, including Bartow County, remained unchanged between August and September.

In metro Atlanta the rate was unchanged at 10.3 percent from August to September. The preliminary August rate was 10.4 percent, but was revised down one-tenth of a percentage point. The jobless rate in metro Atlanta in September a year ago was also 10.3 percent.

The rate in the Northwest Georgia area was unchanged at 10.6 percent. The preliminary August rate was 10.7 percent, but was revised down one-tenth of a percentage point. The jobless rate in the area in September a year ago was 10.7 percent.

In Bartow County, unemployment increased from 10.7 to 10.9 percent from August to September. Despite the uptick in unemployed Bartow residents, the current rate is still a percentage point lower than Sept. 2010's 11.9 percent rate.

The lowest area rates, at 8.0 percent, were recorded in Athens and Warner Robins, while the highest, at 12.5 percent, was in metro Dalton.

Statewide, 110 of 159 counties report unemployment figures above 10 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 10.3 percent in September, up one-tenth of a percentage point from 10.2 percent in August. The state’s jobless rate was also 10.2 percent in September a year ago.

The rate increased due to Georgia losing jobs in September and many new job seekers continuously being unable to find work. The number of jobs in Georgia decreased 15,100, or four-tenths of a percentage point, from August to 3,793,200. Most of the loss was among seasonal workers in leisure and hospitality.

September is the 50th consecutive month Georgia has exceeded the national unemployment rate, which is currently 9.1 percent.