August unemployment rates decline in Macon, Warner Robins

The August unemployment rates drop in Macon and Warner Robins.

Metro Macon’s unemployment rate for August was 6.5 percent, down from 7 percent in July, according to a news release from the Georgia Department of Labor. The rate in August 2014 was 8.3 percent.

The rate declined as the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, decreased by 215, or 27.1 percent, to 579 in August. Over the year, claims were down by 203 from 782 in August 2014.

Also, the number of jobs in Macon increased by 200 in August, to 101,400.

Metro Warner Robins’ unemployment rate for August was 6.3 percent, down from 6.9 percent in July, the release stated. The rate in August 2014 was 7.9 percent.

The Warner Robins rate declined as the number of unemployed residents decreased by 487 to 4,960. Also, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance in August declined by 37 to 430.

The number of jobs in Warner Robins decreased by 100 in August to 69,200.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.8 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 7.7 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for August was 5.9 percent, down from 6.0 percent in July. It was 7.1 percent in August 2014.

To contact writer Linda S. Morris, call 744-4223, or follow her on Twitter@MidGaBiz.