Georgia’s Jobless Rate Jumps to 9.3% in July

Georgia’s jobless rate rose to 9.3% in July, up from 9% in June. Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler says temporary layoffs are the main reason for the increase.

“We saw a large number in seasonal, temporary layoffs in manufacturing,” Butler says, ” Most of those people, however, have already gone back to work. We also saw the workforce increase.”

Butler says almost 8,000 jobseekers entered the workforce last month. The number of long-term unemployed, those who’ve been out of work for more than 26 weeks, decreased slightly. Despite the uptick, Georgia’s jobless rate is well-below where it was last July, when it stood at 10%.