Sunday, August 18, 2024–12:30 p.m.

-Georgia Department of Labor-

First-time claims for unemployment insurance rose in the Rome area last month, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.

There were 487 initial claims filed in July, up from 235 in June, and 419 in July of 2023.

Jobless claims in Bartow County rose from 184 to 310 over the month, but that is still less than the 324 filed this time a year ago.

Gordon County’s claims went from 155 to 353 from June to July.  There were 279 in July of 2023.

Polk County increased from 87 to 139 over the month. There were 132 this time last year.

Chattooga County went from 54 in June to 104 in July. There were 90 claims filed in July of 2023.

The number of jobs in the Rome area was down slightly from 47,700 to 47,200 over the month.

Employment is still ahead of where it was in July of last year, when the area reported 43,200 jobs.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson announced today that Georgia’s July unemployment rate was 3.4 percent, up one-tenth from a revised 3.3 percent in June.

The unemployment rate was nine-tenths lower than the national unemployment rate.

“Georgia’s labor force is larger and more dynamic than ever,” Thompson said. “Our challenge—and our opportunity—is to partner with the business community to create jobs that meet the evolving needs of hardworking Georgians. With over 5 million workers, we have the talent. Now, we need more jobs to keep unemployment low and transform that talent into lasting success.”

Jobs were up by 2,600 over the month and up by 77,600 over the year to 4,980,900, an all-time high.