Carroll County’s jobless rate jumped to 12.5 percent in July, a rise of more than 2 percent from June, despite the fact that unemployment statewide and in other regional counties decreased.
The rate hike came while the Carroll County labor force increased by more than 1,600 workers in the last month, according to Georgia Department of Labor figures released Thursday.
“That’s a huge increase in the labor force for one month,” said Dr. Joey Smith, director of the UWG Center for Business and Economic Research. “It appears that recent announcements of new jobs moving into our area may have pulled people, who were on the sidelines, back into the job market. Some of the increase may be due to seasonal factors, but not all of it.”
The rise from 10.4 percent unemployment in the county in June to 12.5 percent in July came at the same time that the labor force was growing from 53,463 to 55,070 and the number of people employed increased from 47,883 in June to 48,185 in July.
Labor force and employment numbers are also up from a year ago, when Carroll County had a 10.3 percent jobless rate, with a work force of 52,832 and 47,374 employed.
“It’s not that we’re losing jobs,” Smith said. “It’s that we’re not creating jobs as fast as the growth of new employees.”
via County unemployment rate soars to 12.5 percent – Times-Georgian: News.
Comments ( 0 )