Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Athens saw an increase in its number of jobs for December.

 “In December, key indicators varied in the different MSAs,” said Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler. “Although this month’s numbers fluctuated more than usual, a majority of the areas saw positive job growth that continues to be indicative of the resilience that Georgia has to offer during this economic rebound.”

 Athens ended December with 95,600 jobs. That number increased by 500 from November to December but decreased by 2,200 when compared to this time last year

 In Athens, the unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points in December, reaching 4.5 percent. A year ago, the rate was 2.6 percent.

The labor force decreased in Athens by 1,077 and ended the month with 97,723. That number is down 1,309 when compared to December of 2019.

Athens finished the month with 93,287 employed residents.  That number decreased by 1,196 over the month and is down by 3,196 when compared to the same time a year ago.

 The number of unemployment claims went up by 23 percent in Athens. When compared to last December, claims were up by about 581 percent.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed about 1,738 active job postings in metro Athens for December.

 Visit dol.georgia.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers and to connect with us on social media.

DATA FOR THE METRO AREAS ARE ATTACHED. TABLES AND GRAPHS REFLECTING LABOR MARKET DATA ARE AVAILABLE AT https://dol.georgia.gov/current-labor-force-data-and-graphs

 NEWS MEDIA NEEDING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY CALL (404) 232-3685.

 THERE WILL BE NO AUDIO OR VIDEO RECORDINGS THIS MONTH.