Georgia’s Unemployment Rate Holds Steady in December

Georgia’s December unemployment rate held steady at 3.4 percent, unchanged for the fourth consecutive month.

The unemployment rate remained three-tenths lower than the national unemployment rate.

Initial claims for unemployment were up by 11% over the month, however, in December but down by 11% over the year.

State Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson tells WLHR News that Georgia posted incredible numbers in 2023, sporting a blockbuster year with over 5.1 million Georgians employed.

Thompson added that with existing companies continuing to expand and a stream of new companies calling Georgia home, 2024 appears to be headed for all-time highs again.

The sectors with the most over-the-month job gains included Finance and Insurance, Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction; State Government; Local Government; and Retail Trade.

The labor force in Georgia last month was up by 2,864 to almost 5.4 million – an all-time high and was up by 129,771 over the past 12 months.

The number of employed Georgians rose in December to just over 5.1 million – also another all-time high and was up by 108,719 over the past 12 months.

The employment-to-population ratio held at 59.5 percent for the fourth consecutive month and is up from 59.1 percent since the beginning of the year.