The Georgia Department of Labor released July's jobs numbers this week, showing yet another record-breaking month for total number of jobs.
Commissioner Mark Butler says the state added jobs as the unemployment rate approached an all-time low.
"We have two sets of numbers that really stand out and are continuing to see Georgia setting records for total numbers of jobs, it seems like we are saying that every single month," Butler said. "But the most important number to me is not just jobs, I want to make sure people are actually getting those jobs. 11,000 individuals who had previously not been employed became employed over the month, a number that really stands out."
Nationally, the unemployment rate was unchanged in July at 3.7 percent. Georgia’s rate dropped 0.1 percentage points to settle at 3.6 percent.
At the same time, new claims for unemployment increased in July. The total number of claims filed in July climbed by 51 percent. They were down by about 6 percent compared with July 2018.
"You have to look at the numbers behind the unemployment rate," Commissioner Butler explained. "The things I'm concerned about right now are that we continue to create jobs, continue to get people employed, and that the number of people who are unemployed is going down. Those are the numbers I concentrate on the most"
The commissioner also noted that preliminary figures showed Georgia’s number of employed residents continued to climb. Meanwhile, Georgia’s workforce dipped slightly again. The workforce consists of those who are employed and those actively seeking work.