Georgia unemployment rate rises to 10.1 percent in July
Georgia’s unemployment rate rose to 10.1 percent in July, from 9.9 percent in June, the state labor department said Thursday.
There has been no improvement from a year ago, when the state’s jobless rate was also 10.1 percent.
July marked the 48th consecutive month Georgia has exceeded the national unemployment rate, which is currently 9.1 percent.
The July increase was due primarily to traditional seasonal layoffs, with about 80 percent of them in state and local education, the labor department said.
Georgia lost 30,200 jobs in July. In addition to 24,500 jobs lost in government and education, business services lost 2,200, while construction lost 1,800. Overall, the number of jobs declined seven-tenths of a percentage point from a year ago.
On the positive side, manufacturing gained 1,400 jobs — the first July increase in manufacturing in 18 years, the labor department said.
State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler blamed the political environment in Washington for hurting job growth.
“I believe the recent lack of leadership in Washington is a contributing factor to the overall lack of confidence in the economy,” Butler said in a statement. “Due to this lack of confidence, we are seeing a business community which is hesitant to make further investments in this economy.”
The number of long-term unemployed workers — those jobless for at least 27 weeks — increased for the first time in five months to hit 251,100, the labor department said. The number of long-term unemployed remains 9.1 percent higher than a year ago. The long-term unemployed account for 52.9 percent of Georgia’s 474,577 jobless workers.
Also, first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits in July rose 4.4 percent from June. Most of the first-time claims were filed in manufacturing, education, services and construction.
– Henry Unger, The Biz Beat
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180 comments Add your comment
Old Geezer
August 18th, 2011
2:00 pm
It is a well known and accepted fact that people who support the Tea Party drink lots of iced tea. When I’m at a restaurant I see all of you fellow supporters out there silently broadcasting your Tea Party support by ordering sweet tea. I know it, the servers know it , the managers know it, because they continue to make it available to you. McDonalds, is really supporting the Tea Party hard core with their huge iced tea for only $1. So enjoy your sweet tea today and every day and the Tea Party thanks you for your support.
Georgian
August 18th, 2011
2:04 pm
At what point will this stop? With very few exceptions, and I mean very few, all we see on this blog and every other news source across the country, is each side blaming the other. Can we not agree that there are issues that need to be adressed and and get to work?
Does it matter which side did what? Reminds me of the old addage, “There are three sides to every story, yours, mine, and the truth.”
Are we so far gone as a people that we cannot find solutions? I don’t care who’s ideas as long as they are solid. Maybe it is time for us as individuals to figure out what we can collectively do together. If we keep waiting for someone else we wiil keep having the same results.
missysmom
August 18th, 2011
3:22 pm
Unemployment in Monroe County, Alabama is right at 20%. That’s bad.
gm
August 18th, 2011
3:34 pm
Obama has own up to the mess that was given to him, When will Rep conservatives tea idiots in Georgia own up to the mess they created here in Georga?
How many Minorities Sen have been elected in Georgia? 0, but you rednecks go out and elect the crooks that has done nothing for this state in the last 10 years.
Thank God for the Union because Georgians, especially south Georgia hicks would have us all still picking cotton.
independent
August 18th, 2011
3:37 pm
unemployment rate MUST be high…. 150 + comments… no body working 9 to 5 any more ??
ljklkj
August 18th, 2011
3:38 pm
We have a long slough ahead of us because this was not a simple recession, it was a financial crisis. Historically, they take much longer to recover from. Obama got really unlucky in getting elected right after things started falling apart. Whoever won in 2008 was going to be a one-term president.
Sasser
August 18th, 2011
3:38 pm
YES we cannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obama
August 18th, 2011
3:40 pm
it’s not my fault… I’m on vacation… in my new bus… I’ve never had a job.. never hired anybody ???
Obama
August 18th, 2011
3:43 pm
I believe Nacy Pelosi… it must be the Tea Party…
Sasser
August 18th, 2011
3:43 pm
Warren Buffett should VOLUNTARILY send the gov’t a few extra billion if he thinks taxes are too low!!!!
New hope And Change Needed
August 18th, 2011
4:06 pm
I think it is funny how most of the african americans voted blindly cause he was liberal and blakc and he is now causing them more harm then most groups of people.
Bottom line is 18 months of unemployment benefits, trillions in stimulus, bailing out unions, fighting to raise taxes and just making regular villifying comments against the jonbs creators is what has us in this mess.
Alecia
August 18th, 2011
4:11 pm
After 3 yrs in office the economy is Obama’s fault. The wars are his too. He’s been in office for 3 years. We had democrats in charge for the first 2 yrs of his presidency and the last 2 yrs of GW’s. The repubs have only controlled congress for 8 months and the dems are in control of the senate. The change I would like to see is a president that does not roll up into the fetal position and blame a president that left office 3 yrs ago or tea pary republicans that have very little power and have been in office for 8 months. Guess the real question is are we better than 2006, before the dems. started taking over?
kcerab
August 18th, 2011
5:21 pm
Georgian, I could not agree with you more! How about let’s start focusing on what we can do collectively to make a positive difference and stop this blame game. Why? Because blaming in and of itself puts focus on the past. We cannot do anything about the past but continue to give opinions about what happened. The fact is, it has happened, so what? What are you and we going to do about it? What creative solution can we come up with that will make a positive difference in our immediate environment? If everyone takes this approach the US and the planet would be a much better place to be.
Now, I suggest we implement an all hands on the US approach. The rich can do more, corporations can hire more, and citizens like you and I can work more, provided we can find jobs! Which is why we need the small, medium, and large businesses and the mega-large corporations to create jobs. By the way, the president does not create many jobs in the public sector, the job creators are in the private sector, amen.
Osiris
August 18th, 2011
5:46 pm
kcerab – People are about to come down on you HARD! Doses of Reality and Common Sense are not appreciated here.
Michael
August 18th, 2011
5:55 pm
Listen redumblicans, manufacturing increased while government decreased. You got what you wanted, right?
Gee
August 18th, 2011
8:56 pm
OK, you idiot Fox wingnuts- you can’t have it both ways. You spent months yelling about deficits and you got your wish- Georgia & the US are shrinking the government (i.e. jobs for you morons). Those government jobs are dropping like flys- you got what you wished for. The problem is that this nutty redneck state has not sewn the seeds for any meaningful private sector jobs- the way Colorado developed green jobs and your hated California nurtured tech jobs. You Fox nuts earned this 10.1% rate. Enjoy!
Adam
August 19th, 2011
1:24 pm
If we have this high unemployment why is Obama granting 300,000 work visa’s to illegal aliens instead of deporting them. I hope all of the people in line at the job fair gives him a big thank you. This man is shameless.
Kevin
August 19th, 2011
1:26 pm
I can’t believe that all of this focus is on OBAMA. Seriously, those against Obama do not rememeber the sad things the previous adminstration did (8 years) while they held office. They include (but are not limited to) torture, high gas prices, the patroit act, an increase in unemployment, adding to the debt, two wars, failure to help out fellow Americans (Katrina)…and many others. While I will say that I am sick of Obama acting like a “pansie” towards republicans and the tea-party, I do honestly believe he is working for the people. Which, most democrats do. I was gainfully employed and in college when Clinton was in office. When he left and “W” entered, we lost our company contracts to subsidiaries of HALIBURTON. I stayed in GA for the next 9 years before I was laid off and never made over $19.00 per hour; received 3 raises (totalling $4.00) and was laid off and then moved to the DMV area. I am with a company now (I import/export) and I squabble about getting paid the cost of living increase. A 2 bedroom can run you $1200 t0 $1600….that’s a house note (more like a MNASION) in Goergia….can I at least get paid enough to afford rent on a monthly basis for me and my son? And not have to stay with my sister? Bottom line, the situation will not imporve until more DEMOCRATS OWN BUSINESSESS…you can’t force an owner to hire whomever…especially in this country where the taxbreaks favor hiring illegals and sending the jobs overseas……..
Reynard
August 19th, 2011
1:40 pm
The crash of the economy didnt happen overnight..it started in office with Clinton (that’s how he was able to bring down the deficit and have virtually no unemployment) with the de-regulation of the mortgages, energy, and financial institutions. It continued to magnify exponentially with “W”…and now Barack Obama is supposed to solve everyhting in one term? People, look at the writing on the wall….who gets the tax breaks? Who can afford medical coverage? Who has the majority of the WEALTH? If I owned a company, I am in business to make money. PERIOD. I”m gonna do everyhting I can to ensure that my company is profitable…that means lower salaries, no raises, have them pay for healthcare, longer hours, and if need be..hire illegals (don’t have to pay social security, etc.) and outsource as much as I can to another country. And the president thinks he can make me hire who?
borrow more!
August 19th, 2011
6:25 pm
raise the debt ceiling again to “stimulate” the economy! Start a new census! Hope and change! yes we can! where my money!!!
Real #
August 19th, 2011
9:18 pm
A ton of people have stopped looking for jobs—the actual unemployment rate is a lot higher than 10% but they will not disclose it—it will hurt reelection chances.
Does Mark Butler have any ideas?
August 20th, 2011
7:17 am
Mark Butler, like so many other Republicans takes no responsibility for the high unemployment rate. He has no ideas for how to improve the employment situation in our state. That’s a shame, he just passes the buck.
He could be an advocate for jobs programs. He could mention the various ways that our state legislature could take advantage of extremely low borrowing costs (low interest rates) and issue bonds to cover the costs of infrustructure improvements.
As it is, companies are not hiring. Demand for their goods and services is stagnant or shrinking, so it wouldn’t make sense for them to hire. This is why sound economic priciples show that the government is THE best and only solution when it comes to kick-starting the economy.
Javon
August 20th, 2011
9:41 am
this is all the fault of the tea party—the government should ban all these crooks and let obama do what he want to correct the economy.
Seasonality in labor markets — and political manipulation of the results | Savannah Unplugged
August 21st, 2011
10:26 am
[...] this is when the press needs to step up and complain. You can see a good example of the problem in this piece at the AJC, which jumbles seasonally adjusted data with data that is not seasonally adjusted and which makes [...]
Real Deal
August 21st, 2011
4:09 pm
Actual unemployment–closer to 20%. Forget that BS you get from DC–total fiction–just for political / reelection purposes. Congrats — you’ve been conned!
Jon
August 22nd, 2011
11:25 am
At some point these will be remembered as the “good old days”.
art Thomas
August 22nd, 2011
11:49 am
8/21/2011 cnn business report this morning profiles 5 Giant USA firms from a Fortune Magazine
article .These former bastions of US industry all are now growing their business to our new Master CHINA. Coca Cola 49,000 new jobs in China 0 in USA investing $5billion new plant and equipment there Caterpillar 8,500 new jobs in China 11000 in North America over last 18 months billions in new investment plant and equipment in China Merck Pharmaceutical -5000 jobs in US -13000 worldwide but opened 5,000 new positions in China Disney 0 new job in USA but investing $5billion in new Shanghai Disneyworld expected employment 40-50,000 when opens in 2014 Proctor and Gamble -3000 in USA adding 8,000 jobs in China net USA Jobs 3,000 new jobs in China 111,500 See article if all our big companies follow this trend USA middle class is doomed!!!!
kceraB
August 22nd, 2011
12:48 pm
Simple solution to the problem; reverse the policies that moved the country in the wrong direction. Immediately suspend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, stop wasting time, money and effort fighting laws that have been recently put into place and let them work. Try focusing the same time, money, and effort to resolve our unemployment crisis. As more Americans earn a pay check, more can pay taxes and their bills to include mortgages and car payments. All we need is for the investors that were given all the cash through TARP to now use it for the purpose it was intended; stop sitting on it and invest in America.
Jartran
August 23rd, 2011
4:47 pm
when will the hope and change think kick in and create at least a couple of jobs?
Z
August 23rd, 2011
10:41 pm
The only problem this country has, is that we have a republican majority congress that is totally worthless. They don’t care about this country, they don’t care about the people, they don’t care about the economy. They have one agenda and that is to make Obama a one term president, how idiotic is that. Why would any thinking person put a political party back in office that caused all of these problems in the first place. The only change that needs to take place is to remove the obstructions in congress which are the Tea Party fools and why we are not moving forward in this country..they are why you have have no jobs, the economy is sinking, the banks are not lending, they and they alone are the problem. Vote smart come 2012 election.