Local Unemployment Rates See Big Drop in August

The unemployment rate in the Georgia Mountains region dropped  to 7.0 percent in August.

That’s down from 7.8 percent in July.

According to the Georgia Department of Labor the lower unemployment rate is due to a significant reduction in layoffs.

In Franklin County, the unemployment rate dropped significantly in August to 9.7% from 11% in July.  Franklin County’s total labor force last month stood at 9,549 – of that, 928 were unemployed.

In Hart County, the rate also dropped almost two full percentage points in August to 10.2% from 12.1% in July.  Hart County’s total labor force in August was 9,655 – of that, 986 workers were out of a job.

The drop in the unemployment rate statewide last month follows three months of rate increases.

Much of the decline in unemployment claims in August came in manufacturing, as workers who were temporarily laid off in July returned to work.