Both Newnan and Coweta County saw significant decreases in the unemployment rate during July. Coweta’s jobless rate is inching downward toward 9 percent while Newnan’s rate fell below 11 percent.
Coweta saw its unemployment rate drop from 9.7 percent in June to 9.3 percent in July, according to the Georgia Dept. of Labor (DOL). The decrease in the past two months compares to an unemployment rate of 10.1 percent in July 2009. The current jobless rate represents 5,428 people out of work in a county workforce of 58,641.
Newnan, too, saw a drop in the unemployment rate last month. The 11.1 percent jobless rate in June gave way to a 10.6 percent rate in July. The unemployment rate one year ago stood at 12 percent. DOL estimates Newnan’s workforce at 13,173, with 1,392 of its residents out of work.
Though not as significant, the 10-county Three Rivers Regional Commission area also saw a modest decrease in unemployment. DOL reported an 11.1 percent jobless rate for June compared to a 10.9 percent rate for July. The July rate represents 23,931 Three Rivers residents out of work.
The situation for Georgia also improved a bit in the past month. The state’s June unemployment rate of 10.3 percent decreased slightly to 10.2 percent in July. The statewide jobless in July 2009 was also 10.2 percent. Current jobless figures represent more than 480,000 Georgians out of work.
Across the United States, the jobless rate increased slightly in July, with 9.7 percent of the workforce out of a job compared to 9.6 percent in June. That equates to 15.1 million people out of work in a civilian workforce of 115.2 million.
But that is not the whole story. Official unemployment rates listed across America by states and the federal government do not account for those no longer looking for work and those who are underemployed by taking part-time jobs.
