Georgia Department of Labor 
Suite 642 148 International Boulevard N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30303-1751 (404)656-3032 
 
March 5, 1998 
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
 
METRO AUGUSTA'S JOBLESS RATE REMAINS UNCHANGED AT 5.3 PERCENT 
 
ATLANTA -- State Labor Commissioner Marti Fullerton said today that the unemployment rate in metro Augusta remained unchanged at 5.3 percent from December to January, but it is down from 6.3 percent in January 1997. 
 
Georgia's unemployment rate declined slightly to 3.7 percent in January, its lowest point for the month in 28 years. The jobless rate was down from 3.8 percent in December. It was 4.5 percent in January 1997. 
 
"In Augusta, as in most areas of Georgia, the job market is very stable," said Fullerton. "For many years, the unemployment rate in January increased because people who had been hired for temporary retail sales jobs during the Christmas holidays were laid off and the winter weather took a toll in the outdoor construction industry. But, during the mid-nineties the January rate hasn't fluctuated much from December because our state's overall economy is doing well." 
 
While metro Augusta lost 2,500 jobs in January, most were seasonal in nature. Nonfarm employment declined to 192,000 down from 194,500 in December. Yet, even with the seasonal job losses, the area has added 1,200 new jobs in the past year, up by six-tenths percent from 190,800 in January 1997. 
 
The area's civilian labor force, which is the number of people working plus those unemployed but actively looking for a job, was down by 1,360 during the month and by 2,094 over the year. 
 
Labor market data are now available on the Georgia Department of Labor home page at www.dol.state.ga.us 
 
NEWS MEDIA NEEDING MORE INFORMATION MAY CALL (404) 656-3032 E-mail: communications@dol.state.ga.us. 
 
FY-98-418 
 
An Equal Opportunity Employer