Dalton, Ga., jobless rate falls as labor force shrinks

photo Unemployment tile

Unemployment in metropolitan Dalton, Ga., which had one of the nation's highest jobless rates in August, plunged last month by 1.7 percent to 9 percent.

But the drop in unemployment was due to fewer people looking for work, not any increase in jobs. In fact, the Georgia Department of Labor said today that employment in Whitfield and Murray counties, which comprise the Dalton metropolitan statistical area, actually declined in September by 100 jobs. Employment was unchanged in metro Dalton from a year ago although the jobless rate was down by 0.6 percentage points from the 9.7 percent rate in September 2013.

The rate dropped because there were 1,053 fewer unemployed people in the Dalton area in September, according to the federal government's monthly household survey, and there were fewer new layoffs. In September, many students return to school and drop out of the labor market and some summertime businesses shut down.

In August when Dalton's jobless rate peaked this year at 10.7 percent, Dalton had the 6th highest unemployment rate among America's 372 metropolitan areas.

Dalton's job losses last month came mostly in textile manufacturing and professional and business services. Jobs were unchanged over the year at 63,900.

Dalton reported 1,140 new claims for unemployment insurance in September, a decrease of 744, or 39.5 percent, from 1,884 in August. Of the 744 decline in claims, 666, or 89.5 percent, were in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were up 37.2 percent from the 831 filed in September 2013.

Dalton's jobless rate remained well above both the U.S. rate of 5.9 percent and Georgia's statewide rate of 7.9 percent.

Among Georgia's 14 metro areas, unemployment was lowest in Athens, Ga., at 5.7 percent, while the unemployment was highest in Southeast Georgia, the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region, at 9.5 percent.

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