Sep. 18--The Metro Dalton area (Whitfield and Murray counties) lost 5,700 jobs from August 2008 to August of this year, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday, a decrease of 7.8 percent. That was the largest percentage decrease among the state's 14 metro areas. Atlanta was next with a 6.2 percent drop. The number of jobs declined in Metro Dalton from 73,500 to 67,800. The Rome metro area saw a decrease of 4.4 percent, from 41,300 jobs to 39,500. The DOL reported that the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 10.2 percent in August, "virtually unchanged" from a revised 10.3 percent in July. The August rate was up 3.8 percentage points from 6.4 percent at this time last year. The state's unemployment rate remained above the national rate of 9.7 percent for the 22nd consecutive month. "Tens of thousands of jobless Georgians are facing an increasingly difficult job market," said Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond in a press release. "The slight decline in the August unemployment rate appears to be a bit of positive news, however, a closer examination reveals that the reduction was primarily due to work force shrinkage." The DOL said that from the beginning of the recession in December 2007 until now the state's labor force has decreased by 79,039, from 4,823,467 to 4,744,428, while the number of unemployed has nearly doubled, from 244,962 to 481,588. The number of jobs dropped by 314,100, from 4,181,100 to 3,867,000. DOL officials plan to expand Georgia Works (GW$), "an initiative that significantly reduces employer costs associated with recruiting, training and hiring new employees," the press release said. For more information regarding the GW$ hiring strategy, visit www.dol.state.ga.us or e-mail inquiries to gaworks@dol.state.ga.us. GW$ telephone operators are available at 1-877-WORKS09 (1-877-967-5709).

Metro Area Job Losses Percent Change August 2008 August 2009 --Dalton 5,700 7.8 73,500 67,800 --Atlanta 150,400 6.2 2,427,600 2,277,200 --Macon 5,200 5.1 102,500 97,300 --Gainesville 3,500 4.5 78,400 74,900 --Rome 1,800 4.4 41,300 39,500 --Valdosta 2,000 3.5 56,700 54,700 --Savannah 5,500 3.5 159,000 153,500 --Hinesville 600 3.1 19,600 19,000 --Albany 1,800 2.8 63,800 62,000 --Brunswick 1,200 2.6 45,900 44,700 --Warner Robins 1,500 2.5 59,200 57,700 --Augusta 5,200 2.4 215,900 210,700 --Columbus 2,500 2.1 120,800 118,300 --Athens 1,100 1.3 85,100 84,000 --Statewide 238,200 5.8 4,105,200 3,867,000 Source: Workforce Information & Analysis, Georgia Department of Labor

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