Thursday, May 18, 2023–11:23 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
A mixed bag of news on the labor front for Rome and Northwest Georgia.
According to the Georgia Department of Labor, the number of jobs was up in April, but so were first-time claims for unemployment insurance.
In April, employment in the Rome area remained at 43,300, which was the same as in March. However, that is up by 2,400 jobs when compared to April of last year.
However, there were 532 initial unemployment claims last month, up from 232 the month before. There were 185 claims in April of 2022.
Similar trends were reported in surrounding counties.
Bartow County had 299 claims, up from 253 the month before and 151 last year.
Gordon County was up from 214 to 270 over the month. There were 151 in April of 2022.
Polk County was up from 76 to 148 in April. There were 60 in April of last year.
Chattooga County had the largest increase, percentage-wise, with 317 last month, up from 124 in March and 56 this time last year.