Columbus jobless rate stays at 6 percent; 600 jobs lost since June
.jpg "The Georgia Department of Labor operates the Columbus Career Center at 700 Veterans Parkway. -- Photo by Tony Adams")
The Columbus metro area unemployment rate showed no movement in July, remaining at its 6 percent in June, the Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday. A year ago, the local figure was 6.7 percent.
The 6 percent gives Columbus and Albany the second-highest jobless rate in the state, behind the 6.3 percent in Rome. The lowest unemployment rate in July is Gainesville’s 4.2 percent.
Georgia Labor Commissioner pointed out the positive in the Columbus data, noting that the number of residents with a job increased by 593 to 117,436 from June to July, with that total even higher since this time last year.
“There were 1,104 more metro Columbus residents employed than in July 2016,” Butler said in a statement. “I’m pleased to see we have more people in Columbus employed and contributing to Georgia’s continued environment of economic opportunity.”
The labor chief also mentioned that Columbus has gained 300 jobs since July of last year, but that’s a weak performance year over year compared to Georgia’s other metro areas. The local job count also declined by 600 from June to July, giving the area 120,500 positions altogether. That job total compared to the number of residents now working indicates some people are taking on multiple jobs to make ends meet.
“Due to the fact that a lot of summer jobs are held by students, it’s not surprising to see the July decline in jobs, especially with the earlier school start dates this year,” Butler said.
In the category of first-time unemployment claim filings, the Columbus metro area saw those rise by 106 to to a total of 938 from June to July, with manufacturing taking the biggest hit. Year over year, initial claims are up by only 13, with there 925 filings for assistance in July a year ago.
Georgia’s overall unemployment rate in July, reported last week, is 4.7 percent. A year ago, it was 5.3 percent.
Georgia’s metro area rates for July
Here are the July 2017 unemployment rates for Georgia’s metro areas:
▪ Gainesville — 4.2 percent
▪ Savannah — 4.7 percent
▪ Atlanta — 4.8 percent
▪ Brunswick — 4.9 percent
▪ Valdosta — 5 percent
▪ Athens — 5.1 percent
▪ Augusta — 5.2 percent
▪ Warner Robins — 5.2 percent
▪ Hinesville — 5.3 percent
▪ Dalton v5.4 percent
▪ Macon — 5.5 percent
▪ Albany — 6 percent
▪ Columbus — 6 percent
▪ Rome — 6.3 percent
This story was originally published August 24, 2017 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Columbus jobless rate stays at 6 percent; 600 jobs lost since June."