The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that Metro Columbus’ unemployment rate in January was 7 percent, up seven-tenths of a percentage point from 6.3 percent in December. In January 2016, the rate was 6.8 percent.

The rate rose as the number of jobs and people in the labor force declined, while the number of new layoffs increased. These are normal seasonal fluctuations for January.

The number of jobs decreased by 2,000, or 1.6 percent, to 120,300. The job losses came in the service industries, such as professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, retail trade, and education and health services.  

However, over the year, 400 jobs were added, a 0.3 percent growth rate, up from 119,900 in January 2016. All of the job growth came in the service industries.

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, rose by 733, or 65.9 percent, to 1,845. Most of the increase came in accommodations and food services. Over the year, claims were up by 312, or 20.4 percent, from 1,533 in January 2016.

The labor force, which consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed, but actively looking for jobs, declined by 107 to 124,662. The number of unemployed residents rose by 914 to 8,724, while the number of employed residents decreased by 1,021 to 115,938. Over the year, the number of people in the labor force increased by 836, as the number of employed grew by 547 and the number of unemployed increased by 289.

Metro Gainesville and the Georgia Mountains region had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.8 percent, while the Three Rivers region had the highest at 7.4 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for January was 5.5 percent, unchanged from a revised 5.5 percent in December. It was 5.6 percent in January 2016.

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employers. In January, 2,240 new job openings in Columbus were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 64,018 new job openings were posted.