The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the unemployment rate in the Three Rivers’ region in November was 5.4 percent, down five-tenths of a percentage point from 5.9 percent in October. The rate in November 2014 was 6.8 percent.
At 5.4 percent, Three Rivers’ rate is at its lowest point since November 2007 when it was 4.9 percent.
The rate declined as the number of employed residents increased by 1,568 to 221,517 from 219,949 in October.
At the same time, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 422, or 28.7 percent, to 1,892 in November. Most of the increase came in manufacturing, with many being from temporary layoffs, and construction, along with administrative and support services. Over the year, claims were up by 335, or 21.5 percent, from 1,557 in November 2014.
Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.2 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 6.8 percent.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for November was 5.6 percent, down from 5.7 percent in October. It was 6.7 percent in November 2014.
Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.georgia.gov.
