Jobless Rate Climbs To 4.9 Percent in Sandy Springs

Sign up for the Sandy Springs Patch newsletter!

The jobless rate in Sandy Springs rose slightly in the first month of 2015, the Georgia Department of Labor said Thursday.

The city’s January rate rose two-tenth of a percent to 4.9, up from a revised rate of 4.7 percent in December. Metro Atlanta’s rate was 6.2 in January, up from 6.0 in December.

• Looking for a job? Find one on the Sandy Springs Patch jobs board

The rates in January 2014 were 5.8 percent in Sandy Springs and 7.1 in the metro.

The labor department also tracks jobless rates for cities with populations over 25,000. Rates for surrounding cities include: Alpharetta at 4.5 percent; Atlanta at 7.2 percent; Dunwoody at 4.8 percent; Johns Creek at 4.7 percent; Marietta at 6 percent; Milton at 4.6 percent; Roswell at 4.8 percent; Smyrna at 5.8 percent; and Woodstock at 5.7 percent.

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 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.

Photo credit: Patch file