Georiga’s Labor Force at All Time High In November

Georgia’s labor force reached an all-time high in November of 5.17 million.

Additionally, the state saw significant increases in the number of employed residents and jobs.

While nearly every metric remained positive, the unemployment rate for November still increased by 1.2 percentage points to 5.7 percent due to the dramatic increase in the number of citizens returning to the workforce.

Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said while many may focus on the unemployment rate increasing, what is more important is the increases in jobs and employment.

In November, the number of employed Georgians was up 12,759 to reach a total of 4.8 million – up   592,709 since April.

Additionally, he said Georgia’s labor force in November saw an increase of 81,278 – almost triple the increase from 2018 to 2019.

That number is also up 274,436 since the start of the pandemic in April.

Butler said the fact that our labor force is at an all-time high in the midst of a crippling pandemic is pretty remarkable.

He noted the unemployment rate will fluctuate, but his office will continue to centralize our efforts on keeping our economy stable and filling the thousands of jobs available on Employ Georgia.

Jobs in November increased by 20,900, reaching a total of 4,515,300. That number is down 123,400 compared to this same time last year.

The job total listed online at EmployGeorgia has more than doubled since the beginning of the pandemic from the April 2020 listing of just 73,000 jobs.

The Department of Labor Business Services Unit has coordinated virtual hiring events across the state with employers from a range of industries and GDOL is currently working with South Georgia Regional Commission to hire 150 COVID community outreach workers and over 50 part-time positions paying $15/hour.

The GDOL has also assisted in recruitment for Dole Packaged Foods in metro Atlanta hiring forklift drivers, inventory clerks, maintenance technicians, production technicians, a production supervisor, sanitation technicians, and a sanitation manager.

For more information on jobs and current labor force date, visit the Georgia Labor Force Market Explorer at www.explorer.gdol.ga.gov to view a comprehensive report.