Georgia has set a new all-time high for unemployment, with the jobless rate rising to 11.9% in April as waves of workers lost their jobs in the coronavirus pandemic. The state reached an all-time low in February of 3.1% unemployment but now has surpassed its previous all-time high of 10.6% set in December 2010.
A separate survey shows employer payrolls in Georgia fell by nearly 500,000 jobs, from 4.6 million in March to 4.1 million in April. About 2 million Georgians have sought jobless benefits since the crisis began. Federal figures show that about 786,000 Georgians were getting traditional unemployment payments last week.
