Unemployment in Georgia hit an all-time record low in June. Numbers released this week by the commissioner of labor show the seasonally adjusted rate dipped to 2.9 percent. The state has never seen an unemployment rate below three percent, says labor commissioner Mark Butler.
“The unemployment rate is decreasing exactly the way it should in a strong economy,” Butler says. “We are adding new job seekers and they are quickly finding employment.”
More Georgians than ever before are “actively working or looking for work,” Butler says. There are nearly 5.3 million people in the state’s labor force – the most ever – and a record 4.8 million job openings in Georgia.
SEE Statewide initial unemployment claims
More jobs, more workers, and yet, there are businesses still struggling to hire. It’s a strange dynamic driven by a changing economy accelerated by the pandemic. While COVID pushed some sectors to the brink, it also facilitated the rise of new methods and markets. The appeal of remote work, the rise of e-commerce, and higher wages across industries, among other changes, have made it difficult for some small businesses to compete. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce refers to it as ‘The Great Reshuffle.’ Many workers are quitting their jobs but are getting rehired elsewhere.
In Georgia last month, the sectors with the most over-the-month job gains included Health Care and Social Assistance. The sectors with the most over-the-year job gains included Administrative and Support Services and Accommodation and Food Services.
Wellstar Health System, Amazon, Price Waterhouse, and Home Depot have the most job openings in the state. Emory University, Deloitte, and Northside Hospital round out the list with over 1,000 available jobs each.
Market salaries for the jobs listed on the DOL’s Employ Georgia website range from $23,000 to $105,000, with a median salary of $44,000.
