Athens unemployment rate was higher in January than the month before, that’s according the latest numbers from the Georgia Department of Labor. Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Athens’ unemployment rate was up three-tenths of a percent over the previous month. The 2.9 percent is still down significantly from last year’s rate of 4.2 percent.
In addition, the number of unemployment claims saw a hike of 11 percent in January, though that number was down some 88 percent compared to the same time last year.
Athens is not unique however, Butler said all 12 regional commissions in the state saw hikes in unemployment.
