South Georgia unemployment rate climbs

By Angie Thompson/senior reporter

TIFTON August 22, 2008 08:01 pm

— South Georgia’s unemployment rate climbed to 6.7 percent in July, up six-tenths of one percent from June, according to the Georgia Department of Labor. U.S. Department of Labor figures show Tift County’s unemployment rate at 6.9 percent as of June 1.
“We are experiencing a rising tide of unemployment not seen in Georgia in more than 15 years,” Thurmond said. “The surge of jobless workers into our career centers is challenging our ability to keep pace with the demand for assistance at a time when it is most needed.”
Brad Day, president and CEO of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce, told members of the chamber Thursday at the group’s monthly meeting at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center, that prayers are with the employees of Tifton’s COI who recently learned that the distribution center will close mid-October. He said he and members of the chamber’s First Focus Team met with the center’s general manager and human resources director Tuesday and officials with the State Department of Labor also attended the meeting. A Rapid Response Team with the DOL will be at COI Wednesday to help “put people at ease” and lead them through the process to find available benefits. A job fair is also planned at the distribution center to introduce employers to job seekers and job seekers to employers.
“The State Department of Economic Development brought 10 large firms into regions that are hiring now and shared the information with COI so displaced workers would have tangible leads on jobs,” Day said.
Thurmond said 210 workers at COI will lose their jobs and the company plans to begin terminating employees immediately. He said the labor department provides a wide range of transitional services to laid-off workers. These options include: on-site employee information sessions describing services available through the DOL, assistance in filing claims for unemployment compensation, re-employment services, access to retraining opportunities, skills assessments and correlation with available employee opportunities, special workshops on career options and resume writing and interviewing skills.
The Georgia DOL conducts job search workshops, career counseling and provides resource centers in each office. Some job seekers may also be eligible for occupational/skills training, on-the-job training, General Education Development (GED) preparation and testing and supportive services such as childcare assistance, transpiration assistance and meals while enrolled in full-time training.
The DOL’s Tifton Career Center is located at 310 S. Tift Ave. The telephone number is 229-386-3322.
“We ask our customers for their patience and cooperation as we work together to meet and overcome these economic challenges,” Thurmond said.
South Georgia’s July unemployment rate was the highest recorded since March of 1993. The current adjusted state rate, which is five-tenths of one percent higher than the U.S. seasonally-adjusted rate of 5.7 percent, continued to top the national rate for the sixth straight month. Currently, 304,536 unemployed Georgians are now looking for work.
At the same time, initial unemployment insurance claims, which are considered to be leading economic indicator, rose by 30 percent in Georgia in July to 59,165. Preliminary unadjusted data shows Georgia lost 46,600 payroll jobs from June to July, a decrease of 1.1 percent. The job losses come across-the-board in manufacturing, construction, trade and services. The local area unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.state.ga.us.

To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.