Atlanta Jobs: Jobless Rate Slightly Up in January

Sign up for the Midtown Patch newsletter!

------

By Scott Bernarde

The jobless rate in Atlanta rose slightly in the first month of 2015, the state department of labor said Thursday.

The city’s January rate rose two-tenths of a percent to 7.2, up from December’s 7.0.

Metro Atlanta’s rate was 6.2 in January, up from 6.0 in December.

• Looking for a job? Find one on the Midtown jobs board

The rates in January 2014 were 8.0 percent in Atlanta, and 7.1 in the metro.

The department of labor said the metro Atlanta rate increased as the area lost 35,100 jobs, many of which were temporary and part-time jobs related to the holiday season, and had a 7.0 percent increase in new claims for unemployment insurance.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.2 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 8.3 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January was 6.4 percent, down from 6.6 percent in December. It was 7.3 percent in January 2014.

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

Jan 2015 - Area Jobless Rates in Georgia