As the work week came to a close, Governor Brian Kemp touted another month of unemployment decreases following the release of the latest labor reports.
Kemp issued a statement in response to Georgia’s unemployment rate dropping another 0.2 percentage points to reach 4.3 percent in April. Last month, Georgia reported the lowest unemployment rate among the ten most-populated states.
“Thanks to our efforts to protect both lives and livelihoods throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, more Georgians are returning to normal and the Peach State is leading the nation in economic recovery,” Kemp said. “Our unemployment rate – which has declined for twelve straight months and remains below the national average – highlights the resilience of Georgia businesses and workers and the strength of our state’s diverse economy. Georgia is open for business!”
The following information was provided by the Georgia Department of Labor.
In April, the labor force was up 11,336 to reach a total of 5,172,407, and increased 186,000 since the beginning of the pandemic. Georgia’s employed residents in April saw an increase of 22,222, reaching a total of 4,951,267, and was up 586,000 since April 2020.
The job total listed online at EmployGeorgia is showing 239,000 job listings— over triple the amount of the 70,000 listings in April of 2020.
Of the over 239,000 jobs currently listed on EmployGeorgia, 72 percent show salaries over $30,000. In many cases, employers are willing to train quality candidates and assist with attainment of additional credentials. The sectors with the most over-the-month job gains included Health Care and Social Assistance, 3,500, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, 1,500, and Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction, 1,400.
Last week, regular unemployment insurance initial claims totaled 25,441, down 7,392 over the week.
