Unemployment rates drop in Macon, Warner Robins in September

The unemployment rates in Macon and Warner Robins declined slightly from August to September.

The unemployment rate in metro Macon was 6.3 percent in September, down from 6.5 percent in August. The rate in September 2014 was 7.5 percent, according to a news release from the Georgia Department of Labor.

The rate declined as the number of unemployed residents decreased by 189 to 6,414 from 6,603 in August.

The number of jobs in Macon decreased by 300 in September to 101,100. Over the year, Macon gained 100 jobs from 101,000 in September 2014.

Also, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 155, or 26.8 percent, to 734 in September. Over the year, claims were down by 101 from 835 in September 2014.

The unemployment rate in metro Warner Robins for September was 6.1 percent, down from 6.3 percent in August. The rate in September 2014 was 7.3 percent.

The rate declined as employers created more jobs. The number of jobs in Warner Robins increased by 300 in September to 69,500.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.7 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 7.5 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for September was 5.8 percent, unchanged from August. It was 6.9 percent in September 2014. Over the month, Georgia gained 9,100 jobs, and is ranked third nationally in monthly job creation. Over the year, Georgia gained 84,200 jobs.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.georgia.gov.

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

This story was originally published October 22, 2015 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Unemployment rates drop in Macon, Warner Robins in September ."