County’s unemployment rate declines for July

Jackson County’s unemployment rate dropped slightly in July, according to preliminary unadjusted data released Thursday by the Georgia Department of Labor.

In June, Jackson County had an unemployment rate of 10.6 percent — higher than Barrow, Hall, Gwinnett, Banks, Madison and Clarke counties.

That figure dropped to 10.3 percent in July, although Jackson County’s unemployment rate remains higher than all of its bordering counties.

Overall, the department of labor said unemployment in Northeast Georgia decreased to 9.9 percent in July, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 10.1 percent in June. The preliminary June rate was 10.2 percent, but was revised down one-tenth of a percentage point. The jobless rate in the area in July a year ago was also 9.9 percent.

The lowest area rates, at 7.9 percent, were recorded in Athens and Warner Robins, while the highest, at 12.8 percent, was in the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha area near Dublin.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 10.1 percent in July, up two-tenths of a percentage point from 9.9 percent in June. The state’s jobless rate was also 10.1 percent in July a year ago.

The July increase, as in June, was due primarily to the traditional seasonal layoffs, with about 80 percent of them in state and local education.

July marked the 48th consecutive month Georgia has exceeded the national unemployment rate, which is currently 9.1 percent, down from 9.2 percent in June.