Bartow Unemployment Unchanged, Region Rises

The unemployment picture for Bartow County and the region is still dim.

For the county, May's preliminary unemployment rate is 10.3 percent, unchanged from the April revised rate.

The preliminary unadjusted rate for northwest Georgia increased to 10.2 percent in May, up one-tenth of a percentage point from a revised 10.1 percent in April. The April rate was first reported at a preliminary 10.2 percent and the jobless rate in the region in May of last year ago was 10.3 percent.

State labor officials say the rate rose because more than 3,000 new job seekers entered the labor force looking for work and while almost 2,500 found a job, more than 650 did not.

Likewise, the preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate in metro Atlanta increased to 9.7 percent in May, up one-tenth of a percentage point from a revised 9.6 percent in April. The jobless rate in the metro area in May last year was 9.8 percent.

Officials say the rate rose primarily because of two reasons. More than 21,000 new job seekers entered the labor force looking for work, and while about 15,000 of them found a job, about 6,000 did not. Also, Atlanta had a net loss of 900 jobs, as an increase of 1,100 jobs in manufacturing and construction, was offset by a loss of 2,000 service-related jobs.

The lowest area rate, at 7.2 percent, was recorded in metro Athens, while the highest, at 12 percent, was in the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region in the Dublin area.

Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.8 percent from April to May. The April rate was first reported at a preliminary 9.9 percent, but was revised. The state’s jobless rate was 10 percent in May a year ago.

May marked the 46th consecutive month Georgia has exceeded the national unemployment rate, which is currently 9.1 percent, up from 9.0 percent in April.