(The Center Square) – Georgia’s unemployment rate declined to 3.2% in August as the labor force reached an all-time high, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.
The unemployment rate in July was 3.3%. It was 3.4% a year ago. The national unemployment rate is 4.1%.
Nearly 5.5 million Georgians are in the work force, a record number, according to the department.
“With August bringing record-breaking labor force and employment numbers alongside a two-and-a-half-year low unemployment rate of 3.2%, our state’s economy is thriving,” said Georgia Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes. “These milestones translate to real opportunities for families and businesses, and we remain committed to ensuring a mortgage-paying career is within reach of everyone who wants it.”
The number of jobs increased by 8,000 in August, marking the first increase after two months of decline. The administrative and support services and state government both added 3,200 jobs in the month, 1,000 more than the retail trade sector, which added 2,200 jobs, according to the department.
The nondurable goods manufacturing sector shed 1,800 jobs in August, followed by the private educational services sector, which lost 1,400 jobs.
Over the year, the health care and social assistance sector added the most positions (19,100), followed by durable goods manufacturing (4,400), according to the department.
The professional and technical services sector lost the most jobs in the past year (11,600), followed by federal government jobs (9,400).