by T.A. DeFeo
Georgia’s Regional Commissions saw a drop in their unemployment rates in September, officials said.
Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in September stood at 2.8% for the third consecutive month. The rate is down slightly from 3.2% in January and from 3.5% in September 2021.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Regional Commission’s preliminary non-seasonally adjusted unemployment was 2.6%. That is down from 3% a month ago and 3.5% a year ago.
The non-seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate for the Coastal Georgia Regional Commission, which includes Savannah, was down to 2.6%, well below the 3.3% rate last year. The non-seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate for the Middle Georgia Regional Commission, which includes Macon, was 2.9%, down from 3.4% a year ago, while the non-seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate for the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission, which includes Athens, was 2.3%, down from 2.9% a year ago.
“We continue to see a steady rise in job creation and demand by employers to fill open positions,” Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said in an announcement. “This strong growth has led to Georgia having the fewest unemployed residents in over 20 years.”
Last week, Georgia labor officials said the number of jobs in The Peach State increased, though the number of employed Georgians declined. This week, state officials said both employment and the labor force rose.
Numbers vary depending on whether they are seasonally adjusted or not.
Separately, numbers from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis show Georgia’s seasonally adjusted labor participation rate stood at 62.1% in August, down from 68.7% in August 2008. Since 2009, the state’s labor participation rate has hit 66% in March, April and May 2009 and dropped to 59.4% in September 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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T.A. DeFeo is a contributor to The Center Square.
