Georgia nonfarm jobs, January 2020 - April 2022
Georgia remained at its historical low unemployment rate of
3.1% in April, the same as in March. Since June of last year, the state’s
unemployment rate has stayed consistently below 4% as employment in the state
grew and the number of people unemployed buy actively seeking work continued to
fall.
The state added 19,000 nonfarm jobs in April, slightly more
than the revised 18,200 jobs recorded for March.
Unemployment in Georgia
The state’s unemployment rate remained unchanged in April,
while the state’s unemployment rate decreased from 4.3% in April 2021 to 3.1%
in April 2022.
The number of people unemployed but actively seeking work
fell to 160,885. Compared to a year ago, the number of unemployed persons declined
by 60,472. The number of people currently unemployed in Georgia is near the
unemployment level recorded in May 2001 when the state’s labor force was more
than 1 million people smaller. In May 2001, the state’s unemployment rate was 3.7%.
Nonfarm jobs
Since April 2021, Georgia has seen the addition of 252,000
jobs (5.6%), although state and local government employment growth remains
muted.
The private sector in the state added 17,200 jobs in April,
while the government sector added 1,800 jobs. Over the past 12 months, private
sector employment has grown by 246,600 (6.4%), while government employment has
risen by 5,400 (0.8%).
Industries recording job losses over the month included
construction (-1,400) and manufacturing (-1,200).
Job growth was most pronounced in wholesale trade (7,900),
and professional and business services (6,000).
Over the most recent 12-month period, industries seeing the
largest numerical increases include professional and business services
(64,100), leisure and hospitality (41,700), retail trade (24,800), and health
care and social assistance (19,600).
One area that remains a concern is construction, which
posted a job loss of 1,400 jobs in April with industry employment 1,000 jobs
below its level in April 2021. After showing solid growth in 2021, the industry
has seen a decline of 6,000 jobs since January.
Atlanta, Athens, and Savannah areas
Within the state, three areas are posting significant job
growth rates over the past year.
The Atlanta metro area added 11,000 of the state’s 19,000
new jobs in April. Over the past year, the Atlanta area job market has grown
faster than the state as a whole, with the metro area adding 183,000 jobs, and
accounting for more than 70% of the state’s job growth.
While the state has seen a 5.6% growth in new jobs since April
2021, the Atlanta metro area job market has increased by 6.6%.
Athens-Clarke County metro area added 500 new jobs in April.
Over the past 12 months, the area has seen an increase of 6,200 jobs, or 6.5%.
The Savannah metro area job market declined by 900 jobs in
April, its first monthly decline since October. Over the past 12 months, the
Savannah area has seen the addition of 11,400 new jobs for a growth rate of
6.1%.
All three job markets are now larger than in February 2020,
before the pandemic-related job downturn.
