Georgia’s job market is closing in on a major milestone, with total jobs just 5,100 short of hitting 5 million, according to the Georgia Department of Labor. The unemployment rate stayed steady at 3.7% in December, below the national average of 4.1%.
The state added 9,900 jobs last month, bringing the total to a record 4,994,900. Growth was driven by sectors like health care and social assistance, information technology, and retail trade. Meanwhile, manufacturing and local government saw the biggest losses, with a drop of 1,800 and 1,500 jobs, respectively.
Despite job gains, Georgia’s labor force shrank for the second month in a row, while initial unemployment claims rose by 11,727. Over the past year, health care added 32,800 jobs, leading annual growth. However, some sectors, including manufacturing and administrative support, saw declines.