Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Athens saw an increase in the labor force over the month as the number of claims dropped 23 percent in August.  

"Although we are seeing fewer unemployed individuals now than before the pandemic started, we are also still seeing a decreased total number of people in the workforce when compared to numbers recorded prior to the pandemic,” said Commissioner Mark Butler. “This will continue to cause a hiring crunch until we can attract more people back to the workforce to fill the record number of job openings.”

In Athens, the unemployment rate was up one-tenth of a percentage point to 2.8 percent from the revised rate of 2.7 percent in July 2021. A year ago, the rate was 5.7 percent.

The labor force increased in Athens by 648 and ended the month at 97,193. That number is up 3,400 when compared to August of 2020.

Athens finished the month with 94,460 employed residents.  That number increased by 552 over the month and is up by 5,998 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Athens ended August with 92,600 jobs. That number increased by 900 from July to August and increased by 1,500 when compared to this time last year.

The number of unemployment claims went down by 23 percent in Athens in August. When compared to last August, claims were down by about 87 percent.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed about 2,237 active job postings in Albany for August.

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.

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 EMAIL [email protected]

THERE WILL BE NO AUDIO OR VIDEO RECORDINGS THIS MONTH.