Jobless Rate Falls in Cherokee County

By Scott Bernarde

The jobless rates in metro Atlanta and Cherokee County fell slightly in February, the state department of labor said Thursday.

Metro Atlanta’s rate was 6.1 percent in February, down from 6.2 percent in January. Cherokee’s drop was also fairly small, falling from 5 percent in January to 4.9 in February.

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The rates in February 2014 were 5.6 percent in Cherokee County and 7.1 in the metro area. Rates for surrounding counties include: Bartow at 6.2 percent; Cobb at 5.4 percent; Dawson at 5.3 percent; Forsyth at 4.7 percent; Fulton 6.5 percent; and Pickens at 5.7 percent.

The rate declined in metro Atlanta, as employers created more jobs and laid off fewer workers, GDOL said.

The number of jobs in Atlanta increased by 12,200, or 0.5 percent, in February to 2,541,000 from 2,528,800 in January. Most of the job gain came in professional and business services, 4,700; construction, 3,000; education and health services, 2,900; government, 2,800; and leisure and hospitality, 1,600.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.1 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 8.1 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for February was 6.3 percent, down from 6.4 percent in January. It was 7.3 percent in February 2014.

Note: Local area unemployment data and jobs are not seasonally adjusted.

Photo credit: Patch file