March unemployment figures released by the Georgia Dept. of Labor (DOL) show the jobless rate in Fayette County and Peachtree City on the decline. Fayette’s jobless rate dropped one-third of a percent over the past month while the rate in Peachtree City fell nearly half a point.
Unemployment numbers for Fayette County decreased in March to 8.3 percent, down from the 8.6 percent rate in February, according to DOL. That’s the lowest unemployment rate in the Atlanta metro area. Fayette’s unemployment rate one year ago was 8.7 percent.
Fayette has a workforce of 49,890, with 4,129 of those reported to be out of work in March.
March jobless figures for Peachtree City also fell in March, sliding to 7.1 percent. That compares to the February rate of 7.5 percent and a rate of 7.6 percent one year ago.
Peachtree City’s March unemployment rate equates to 1,132 people out of work in a workforce of 15,894.
Unemployment numbers across the 10-county Atlanta Regional Commission area fell nearly half a percentage point in March, from 10.1 percent in February to 9.7 percent last month and 9.9 percent in March 2010. The March number represents 205,445 people out of work in a workforce of 2.11 million.
The jobless rate across Georgia also declined in March. Figures from February showed 10.2 percent of the state’s workforce of 4.7 million out of work. But in March that 10.2 percent rate fell to 9.8 percent, or 458,883 people without work. The March rate compares to the 10.1 percent rate a year ago.
And finally, the unemployment rate nationwide also saw a decrease in March. The 9.5 percent rate in February decreased to 9.2 percent in March. That figure represents 14 million people out of work.
Government unemployment figures do not take into account the number of people under-employed, those who can only find part-time jobs. Estimates by private polling firms vary, though several continue to list the under-employment rate at 15-19 percent of the workforce.
