Cherokee Jobless Rate Falls To 4 Percent

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Canton, GA -- The unemployment rate in Cherokee County saw some movement in a positive direction last month, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.

The county’s jobless rate fell to 4 percent in November from 4.4 percent in October, the agency said Thursday. The county’s rate in November 2014 stood at 5 percent.

At the county level, Cherokee and Forsyth both have the lowest unemployment rates in metro Atlanta. Other rates for surrounding counties include: Bartow at 4.9 percent; Cobb at 4.4 percent; Dawson at 4.5 percent; Fulton at 5.2 percent; and Pickens at 4.6 percent.

At the regional level, the metro Atlanta unemployment rate for November was 5 percent, down four-tenths of a percentage point from 5.4 percent in October. The rate in November 2014 was 6.1 percent.

At 5 percent, Atlanta’s rate is at its lowest point since April 2008 when it also was 5 percent.

The rate declined as employers created 18,400 jobs in November, due largely to holiday hiring. The number of jobs increased to 2.64 million or 0.7 percent, from 2.62 million in October. Most of the increase came in trade, transportation and warehousing at 12,700; government at 2,400; leisure and hospitality at 1,500; and education and health services at 1,200.

Over the year, Atlanta gained 86,500 jobs, a growth rate of 3.4 percent, up from 2.5 million in November 2014. Most of the job gains came in professional and business services at 25,100; trade, transportation and warehousing at 18,000; leisure and hospitality at 13,100; education and health services at 9,200; government at 9,100; manufacturing at 5,800; and construction and financial activities at 4,500 each.

Also, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 477, or 3.5 percent, to 14,257 in November. Most of the increase came in construction, manufacturing, administrative and support services, and wholesale trade. Over the year, claims were up by 755, or 5.6 percent, from 13,502 in November 2014.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.2 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 6.8 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for November was 5.6 percent, down from 5.7 percent in October. It was 6.7 percent in November 2014.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.georgia.gov.

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