Grady jobless numbers remain among lowest in SW Georgia

Unemployment ticked up in Grady County and southwest Georgia in June, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.
Although the jobless rate in Grady County increased from 7.3 percent in May to 8.0 percent in June, the local unemployment rate remains among the lowest in the region and the state.
For the southwest Georgia region, the labor department reported that the jobless rate increased eight-tenths of a percentage point from 9.1 percent in May to 9.9 percent in June. In June 2012, the region’s unemployment rate was 9.6 percent.
According to labor department officials, the rate increased due to a large number of education workers who are unemployed during the summer and new graduates who are considered unemployed until they find  a job.
Overall, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment ticked up from 8.3 percent in May to 8.6 percent in June, which is down from 9.1 percent in June 2012. When compared with the region and individual county figures, which are not seasonally adjusted, the jobless rate for Georgia was 9.3 percent in June, 8.5 percent in May and 9.5 percent in June 2012.
Decatur County continues to suffer the region’s highest unemployment rate. The jobless rate grew from 10.9 percent in May to 12.0 percent in June, which is also up from 11.4 percent in June 2012.
Miller County has the region’s lowest unemployment at 6.8 percent. Thomas County recorded 8.2 percent in June, up from 7.5 percent in May but still below the 8.4 percent in June 2012.