Georgia’s unemployment rate jumps to 10.1 percent
Georgia’s unemployment rate jumped to 10.1 percent in November from a revised 9.8 percent in October, the state labor department said Thursday.
There has been virtually no progress from a year ago, when the jobless rate stood at 10.2 percent in November 2009. This November was the 38th consecutive month that Georgia’s jobless rate has exceeded the national rate, which is 9.8 percent.
“The unemployment rate is up because of increases in new layoffs and in the number of long-term unemployed,” state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said in a statement.
There were 252,200 long-term unemployed in November — those who have been out of work for at least 27 weeks, the labor department said. This represents an increase of 4.8 percent from October and 59.8 percent from November 2009.
The long-term unemployed now account for 53.7 percent of the 469,702 jobless workers in Georgia. A year ago, the long-term jobless represented 32.9 percent of the unemployed.
In November, the number of payroll jobs increased by two-tenths of a percentage point to rise to 3,849,500, the labor department said. Most of the increases came in retail trade, professional and business services, and educational and health services.
But, the number of jobs remains one-tenth of a percentage point less than in November 2009.
Also, 67,714 laid-off workers filed initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits in November — an increase of 17.8 percent from October.
Most of the first-time claims were filed in manufacturing, trade, administrative and support services, and construction, the labor department said.
- Henry Unger, The Biz Beat
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134 comments Add your comment
Will
December 16th, 2010
1:19 pm
Pretty sad that ppl still think that once we get this party in or that party in it will change everything. Both parties got us in this mess. We will never get out of it.
Dano
December 16th, 2010
1:25 pm
Republicans have been in the White House for 20 of the past 30 years (1980-2010)
Reagan= 8 years, 1980-1988
Bush Sr= 4 years, 1988-1992
GW Bush= 8 years, 2000-2008
Democrats: 10 years: 8 years Clinton 1992-2000
2 years Obama 2008-2010
So the majority of the past three decades were under a GOP presidency. They are the ones to blame, as they had 20 years to solve or address all these problems, that just kept growing and growing. Yes, the Democrats share 8 years of blame, but the majority of the time this country was under a GOP president.
deegee
December 16th, 2010
1:26 pm
I don’t think that we want to make any generalizations based on the unemployment figures out of Montana. Montana and Idaho create jobs for the general population but none of them pay much more than minimum wage. If you aren’t in the cattle and big-ag businesses you have to wear a few hats if you want to live off of the local economy. The people in Montana and Idaho are very resilient.
recession blues
December 16th, 2010
1:29 pm
obama’s DC economists said the recession was over a long time ago. How can unemployment be getting worse?
Fletch
December 16th, 2010
1:39 pm
recession blues – “obama’s DC economists said the recession was over a long time ago. How can unemployment be getting worse?”
The NATIONAL Unemployment rate is lower than Georgias. Maybe you should ash the representatives of GEORGIA why our unemployment rate continues to grow.
Sandra
December 16th, 2010
1:39 pm
It DOES NOT matter if the President is black. We are in this situation.
Fletch
December 16th, 2010
1:40 pm
sorry, “ask” little cold here in MT.
RSC
December 16th, 2010
1:50 pm
Once Shady Deal starts laying off state employees, the Georgia foreclosure and unemployment rates will go up even higher and Georgia will drop even lower in education (if that is at all possible).
Nparry
December 16th, 2010
2:04 pm
If some counties in GA are depending upon prisons as the main source of income and as engines of economic growth, then you know where the State of GEORGIA is heading towards.
99er and then some.
December 16th, 2010
2:09 pm
I started a minium wage in 1970. $1.25 per hour. I have worked my way up every job I have had to go up in pay. 2008 $23.75 per hour. First to go when they downsize the shop. They said go to school, learn something else to do. Seven quarters later, 275 resumes later, no job, no unemployment, one quarter to go in school. All I have heard from employers is, you have been out of work to long, you are to old, you want fit in with all the young people we have working for us. Had one tell me , he would not hire me because I knew how thing were suposed to work and he did not want his low paid workers to figure it out.
The only way we are going to have jobs in this country, is to demand products be made in this country. Goverment workers are not productive workers, they produce nothing, they only consume things, like tax money. It take a bunch of production workers to pay just one consumer worker’s wages. Goverment cannot create jobs, Poor people do not create jobs,
The only poor person I have ever worked for, was me, I had the worse boss anyone could have. The benifits sucked, the time off sucked, and Wal-Mart put me out of work. They are the biggest job killer in this country, I think the American dream has changed to just to get out of this life without leaving your family in worse shape than they are in now.
MIKE
December 16th, 2010
2:38 pm
Don’t let the liberal media fool you readers. The current unemployment rate is because America has been a ‘ I’ll vote for the party that is willing to take from someone who has earned it and giving it to someone who has not ” place. People need to start being accountable for their own actions and quit living above their means. Quite simply if you can’t pay for it with the good old American dollar that you have in your pocket, don’t buy it. Nothing is free in America except speech. Everything else is earned.
DD
December 16th, 2010
3:04 pm
Quit bitching, and DemanD term limits for all elected officials.
Ann Clark
December 16th, 2010
3:07 pm
It’s the fault of both the democrats and the republicans. The economy was going into the toilet during the Bush Administration by unnecessary wars, tax cuts, free spending, deregulation, and a failed philosophy. (So, Republicans accept that fact).
Democrats, you people are like the cowardly lion. You didn’t have the fortitude to block the bailouts or at the minimum put clear strings on the banks, financial institutions, and companies. You blew it because you are nothing more than cowards.
The electorate is to blame because most are so stuck in their political philosophies they cannot do what’s best for the country. Moreover, Congress acts like a bunch of out of control children in the sandbox.
Former Corporate Dummy
December 16th, 2010
3:09 pm
Dano, that’s good analysis! Twelve of those years were under the Bush family who fancy themselves as “Globalist” and ,obviously, support globalization.
Globalization….. used to use that term in a lot of corporate Power Point presentations. Wonder what the unemployed and underemployed corporate dummies think of Globalization now?
TnGelding
December 16th, 2010
3:21 pm
…in th sandbox with Monopoly money!
Sonnys to do list
December 16th, 2010
3:21 pm
Lets check my list…30 million for land near my home,unknown amount for little league hdqs near my home,go fish so i can use it everyday,and college football hall of fame (10 million) that does it for a while,up yours the good tax payers of
Georgia….Love ya Sonny!
Relocated
December 16th, 2010
3:34 pm
Austin, Texas came in 5th best city to move to. The unemployment rate in the area is 6.5 percent, well below the U.S. average of 10.2 percent. It’s the No. 10 job market, according to Indeed.com, with two applicants for every job opening.
Jim
December 16th, 2010
5:09 pm
Its not surprising to see all the finger pointing on here. The truth of the matter is both sides are to blame. Just look at what is going on now in Washington. Republicans want tax cuts without new revenue, Democrats want spending increases without new revenue. Both add to the debt so does it really matter who wins? Both sides spend money they don’t have, then point fingers at the other.
Theoden
December 16th, 2010
6:10 pm
Expect the unemployment numbers to go up even more once Deal downsizes the state government payroll and companies continue to shift work offshore. Georgia has been hemorrhaging jobs since the DotCom bomb dropped in 2001 and the trend is showing little signs of winding down – and why would it? America’s corporations have become addicted to cheap offshore labor and products. Why pay an American a decent wage when you can have someone over in China or India do it for next to nothing. After we layoff all of the IT, Engineering, customer service, appliance makers, etc, where do you expect the American economy to head… Thats right… in the toilet! Guess who’s economy is on a tear right now?… China! The American middle-class will never learn. We are letting big business destroy the American industrial base and our workforce to facilitate redistribution of our nation’s wealth to shareholders and other foreign interest across the globe. As long as executive leadership makes their multi-million selling America out, it is all good. The altruistic corporation is innocent and it is our government that doing us wrong. Right.. Right…
Indeed, the joke is on us. All we seem to be able to do these days is scream liberal this and neoCon that and meanwhile the plutocrats have us just where they want us – distracted with our eyes off of the true end game – the largest transfer of a nation’s wealth and prosperity to corporate titans and foreign interest without one shot being fired! We are doomed.
Wake up little sheep.
DD
December 16th, 2010
7:08 pm
@sony to do list.You forgot deep water port at Savanah,and trucking,and grains.He is a one man con—–gomerlate.
S
December 16th, 2010
8:55 pm
Here Real, I will say it for you I will say it over and over, poor white middle class conservatives love to get robbed by rich white conservatives. Just changed one word, cause robbed is what it is…They vote against their own self interests along party lines, which is the biggest mistake they could make. None of our Politicians are angels, they don’t make such a person, so we are left with the lesser of two evils in the end. So what you do is vote in your own self interest always, because no one cares more about you, than you.. The Republicans have been in charge in this state for the last 8 years and our state has plummeted in Jobs, the housing mess on and on. Most distressing in all of this is schools are declining with lack of money, job layoffs, furloughs. When company’s move here, this is what they look at if they care anything for their employees, which I admit is lacking in this day and age. So if this happened in your state with Republicans in charge, would you vote another and an already known ethically challenged Republican in office…Nope not in my own self interest…I git it! I did not vote for another ethically challenged Politician, but I and only a few others, it seems, saw the reality of the mess this state is in because of Republicans.
Shadow7071
December 16th, 2010
9:14 pm
Just a few months ago a couple of local economist were quoted here in the Biz Beat as saying that unemployment was going away. They said that soon thousands of jobs would be coming to Georgia. Where are those guys today?
Hour of the Time » News 15Dec10- updated 16Dec10
December 16th, 2010
9:52 pm
[...] http://blogs.ajc.com/business-beat/2010/12/16/georgias-unemployment-rate-jumps-to-10-1-percent/?cxnt... [...]
Mary
December 16th, 2010
11:06 pm
It’s just going to go higher as long as big companies keep sending jobs overseas..they aren’t stopping it…just getting worse
Tennessee Bound
December 16th, 2010
11:20 pm
My husband and I arrived in Duluth, GA in 1995 to be employed in “Technology Park”, Norcross, GA. Within 10 years, technology hemmoraghed and the jobs went elsewhere while immigrant grocery stores and five and dime furniture stores errupted everywhere. After lay-off-after-layoff, we migrated to Knoxville, TN where the jobs are plentiful and home values and the economy are stable. Anyone who STAYS in Georgia is ASKING for a black-eye!!!!
TnGelding
December 17th, 2010
8:43 am
The Shadow knows! Soon, Shadow, soon!
Diane
December 17th, 2010
9:24 am
women business owners in atlanta are leveraging their resources to prevent situations like this.
mark
December 17th, 2010
10:03 am
Legallize and tax pot, cut spending by not arresting 800,000 Americans. That will raise close to $100billion. Or keep arresting, keep spending and keep killing in mexico. While the cartels make billions. All you tea parties and repubs should agree.
Shadow7071
December 17th, 2010
11:02 am
Alabama who has had the lowest unemployment rate in the region reported that state’s unemployment rate increased to 9.0% up from several months of 8.9%. Tennessee’s unemployment rate has stagnated at 9.4% now for three months. South Carolina reported this morning that state’s unemployment dropped from 10.7 to 10.6 percent and forecast a stagnated 2011. Overall the Southeast region is not fairing very well.
Public Health Politics
December 17th, 2010
1:21 pm
[...] focusing on jobs and employment, seeing as how Georgia’s unemployment rate soared beyond 10 percent recently. But, there comes a point when low income taxes only do so much. In order to attract [...]
over
December 17th, 2010
3:35 pm
isn’t the recession over according to the government? if so, shouldn’t there be lots of new jobs?
Go Fish
December 17th, 2010
3:37 pm
When is Sonny’s “Go Fish” program going to start booming in his home town and start producing tons of jobs—he sent millions in taxpayer money down there, so it should work good!
GaNative
December 17th, 2010
9:22 pm
Jobs have been in a steady decline since the year 2000. I was an IT Consultant and contracts were plentiful until the year 2000 hit. I took a permanent job for awhile but quit it after 5 years because I don’t like taking crap from idiotic bosses. The erosion of jobs started long before Obama took office. The solution to the joblessness in America is very simple. Just send anyone who is not an America Citizen back home to their homeland and the situation will be solved. The majority of people who have jobs now are low paid Non-Americans, quest workers and green card holders. In fact back in 2000 when I took a permanent job the IT Director hired an Indian (not the Native American kind, but the ones from India) and made him my supervisor. Imagine that, I’ve got a guy that I report to who can’t compose a sentence that makes sense, can’t read and interpret emails sent to him, yet he’s my direct report. It’s a sad state that this country has gotten itself in by just opening it’s doors to let everyone in. Sure, Corporate America benefited from the cheap labor, but their quality products and customer service is at a all time low. Take Windows Vista as a case in point. Microsoft was big on bringing Indians into America and put them on their Vista project. What a mess they made of Vista. Vista was a nightmare that should have never been released to the public. The biggest purchaser of it were consumers who had no choice since it came with the new computer they purchased. There were very few Corporation, Schools and Universities that bought into Vista. Whenever I call customer service if the person can’t speak fluent english, I ask them to pass my call along to someone who can.
This recession has really been a blessing or a cleansing of America. So many businesses and individuals were affected by it in some way or another. Maybe now people will stop tip toeing around the real problem and send these folks back to their home land. As long as they have the jobs, the economy will not recover. They don’t put money in the bank other than to wire it back to their home land to family members. They don’t buy soap and deodorant, if they do they surely don’t know how to use it. They don’t buy much in the way of food other than a bag of rice that lasts a month. They live like rats in the house or apartment (multiple families in a single residence). And for the most part they are dumb as hell, but they have the jobs. They don’t understand much of nothing, in fact, if you tell them to Kiss My Azz, their reply will be Kind Regards. Send Em Home where they belong.
Obama said ....
December 20th, 2010
10:32 am
POTUS Obama said that if he would be given his spendulus package ( he did get it in 09 ) that it would “keep unemployment under 8%” and it did not and so, he lied. Bush kept it at 5.25% and when he gave Obama the keys to the White House, retail gasoline prices were at $1.65 per gallon and now, with Obama closing off the Gulf of Mexico to drilling,a retail gallon of gas is approaching $3.00. This is a tax of sorts, because it will restrict American in their discretionary spending. Not good for jobs.
obama’s policies are damaging the USA far worse than Bush. Besides, sub prime loan initiatives are the property of Democrats ……………..no Republican would trot out the idea that we make loans to guys that had no work history or money or income ……………this is the lone proeprty of the Dem party. This scandal caused this recession ……………..not George Bush. The US House sets the spending initiatives …………….not a President. The US House has been in Dem hands for about 6 or more years and so, they are the cause, along with Sub Prime stuff.
Locally and across the USA Dems with their partisan program have just about destroyed America. They use to say “look at Europe, we need to emualte Europe” with their Marxist governments. Well, let us look at Europe. They are collapsing with spending ……………… so will the USA if we do not reign in government spending.
I rest my case. Obama was rejected in the last election and that is validated because Harry Reid pulled another Spenduls bill last week. Obama’s orgy is over and the TEAPARTY will reverse obama care.
Cheney Rules.