Umemployment takes a sligt leap upwards

Unemployment

takes a sligt leap upwards

Fayette County's

unemployment rate rose last month, but State Labor

Commissioner Michael Thurmond said the state is still

facing a labor shortage.

The

county's rate jumped from 1.5 percent in January to 1.8

percent in preliminary February figures released late

last week. The county's increased rate mirrored the rest

of the region as metro Atlanta's rate from 2.6 percent to

2.8 percent.

"Even

though the unemployment rate is up this month in the

Atlanta area, the gap between available workers and the

number of jobs continue to widen," Thurmond said.

"To

offset this imbalance, we must continue to emphasize the

importance of developing our indigenous workforce to meet

our state's need for highly skilled workers," he

added.

Fayette's

low rate is second only to Forsyth's 1.7 rate in the

metro area.