- Collection:
- Georgia Government Publications
- Title:
- Dimensions: measuring Georgia's workforce, Vol. 29, no. 2 (Feb. 2003)
- Creator:
- Georgia. Department of Labor
- Contributor to Resource:
- Georgia. Workforce Information and Analysis
- Publisher:
- Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Dept. of Labor, 2003-02
- Date of Original:
- 2003-02
- Subject:
- Labor market--Georgia--Statistics
Wages--Georgia--Statistics
Hours of labor--Georgia--Statistics - Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- state government records
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- External Identifiers:
- Call Number GA L200.E46 P1 T7 29/2
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bl200-pe46-bp1-bt7-b29-s2-belec-p-btext
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bl200-pe46-bp1-bt7-b29-s2-belec-p-btext
- Language:
- eng
- Holding Institution:
- University of Georgia. Map and Government Information Library
- Rights:
-
February 2003 Data
Highlights
What goes up, must come down .... page 2
Find out what can be learned about Georgia's economy by watching trends in migration and visa versa.
Unemployment rate holds steady in February ................. page 10
Essentially unchanged over the month, Georgia's unemployment rate remained at 4.5 percent in February.
For the second straight month, Georgia had the lowest rate in the Southeast.
GDOL Works to stimulate job growth........................... Page 12
In response to weak job creation and lengthening terms of unemployment, Commissioner Thurmond has created Georgia Works.
Georgia Career Centers ............ Page 13
Long-term unemployment continues to be a concern in Georgia ........ Page 21
Gradual increases in benefit exhaustions and average duration of benefits reveal a still-sluggish economy.
WI&A Customer Satisfaction Team .................. page 23
Volume XXIX, Number 2
Data Tables
6 Georgia Nonagricultural Employment 7 Atlanta Nonagricultural Employment 8 Albany & Athens Nonagricultural Employment 9 Augusta-Aiken & Columbus Nonagricultural
Employment 10 Macon & Savannah Nonagricultural Employment 14 Georgia, Metro Areas & U.S. Labor Force
Estimates 15 Georgia Labor Force Estimates by County 20 Georgia Unemployment Rates by County 21 Georgia Unemployment Insurance Claims
by County
Michael L. Thurmond, Commissioner Georgia Department of Labor
Workforce Information & Analysis 148 Andrew Young International Blvd., N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-1751 (404) 656-3177
Fax (404) 651-9568 Workforce.Info@dol.state.ga.us
Equal Opportunity Employer/Program Auxiliary Aids and Services Available upon
Request to Individuals with Disabilities
Dimensions - Measuring Georgia's Workforce
What goes up, must come down
In the decade of the 1990s, Georgia's labor market experienced its strongest period of economic expansion in history. But what constitutes a "labor market"? According to classical economic theory, a labor market consists of all the buyers and sellers of the commodity of labor power. The buyers of labor power are the employers and the sellers of labor power are the workers. When there is an imbalance between labor supply and demand, labor will flow in or out to offset the imbalance. Just as the circulation of commodities is the centerpiece of capitalism, and because labor is also a commodity, labor mobility, or migration, is essential to any labor market. That being said, migration and population have played significant roles in Georgia's economic development, particularly in recent years.
As people move into a region, the demand for goods and services increases, leading to more jobs for people who produce those goods and services. For these reasons, it is important to account for population movements when assessing the economic growth of a state or region. After all, if total employment in Georgia was growing at an annual rate of two percent, but the population was growing at a rate of three percent, the labor market would not look as healthy as if the population were only growing by one percent.
during the past 30 years. Between 1972 and 1982, the growth patterns in Georgia closely mirrored those of the nation, and the national ratio of the employed only slightly exceeded Georgia's.
Employment-population ratios for GA and US (1972 - 2002)
Ratio
60%
GA ratio
US ratio
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0% 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02
In 1982, however, the trends for the nation and Georgia intersected and Georgia's employment-population ratio took off, far surpassing the national figures for the rest of the 1980s. In the 1990s, Georgia's ratio of employment-to-population continued to transcend that of the nation, although by a narrower margin. Like the nation, the employment-population ratio for Georgia fell at the official onset of the 1990-91 recession and resumed its upward trend when the recession ended. However, since 2000, Georgia's employment-population ratio has declined considerably and has once again fallen in line with the national figure. The critical variable underlying these shifting trends in population is not due to births and deaths (which are relatively stable statistics), but to migration.
Therefore, one way to analyze relative employment growth in a state and also account for shifts in population is to take employment in a given period and divide it by population for the same period. This results in a statistic commonly known as the employment-population ratio, which expresses the proportion of the population that is employed. Generally speaking, a rising ratio is interpreted as a positive economic development and a falling ratio is deemed negative for the economy.
Recent migration trends Since 1970 there have been significant changes in migration patterns in the U.S. Most importantly, the flow of migrants out of the South has been reversed, with the South becoming the region with the largest net in-migration. William Frey, senior fellow with the Milken Institute and research scientist with the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan asserts that the nation is shaping into "three different Americas": 1) Melting Pot areas (California, Florida, Texas, New York and Illinois) with large concentrations of immigrants, and which are marked by diversity in age as well as ethnicity; 2) "New Sunbelt" areas in the Southeast (Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia) and the West (Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington), which are drawing large numbers of blacks and whites; and 3) the Heartland, (other than Illinois), which is gaining population slowly if at all.
Employment-population ratios for the nation and for Georgia have increased overall since the early 1970s due in large measure to steadily increasing employment among women. The share of Georgia's population that was employed increased 10.4 percentage points (from 35.2 percent to 45.6 percent) between 1972 and 2002, while the national figure rose only 10.2 percentage points in that period (from 35.2 percent to 45.4 percent). But the trends for Georgia and the U.S. have shifted considerably
Frey's theory is consistent with data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Analysis of migration data from Census 2000 confirms that between 1990 and 2000, Georgia ranked 1st in the nation in the net gain of out-of-state native born residents. From 1990 to 2000, the number of Georgia residents born in another U.S. state increased by 748,229. Georgia ranked first among the eight states that gained 400,000 or more native born residents in that period, including Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Nevada and Tennessee.
Furthermore, the Atlanta MSA gained far more out-of-state residents than any other metro area in the U.S. during the same period, as more than 70 percent of the statewide increase occurred in Atlanta. These numbers are strictly for native born U.S. residents who migrated from other states.
2
Dimensions - Measuring Georgia's Workforce
Between 1990 and 2000 the number of Georgia residents born in other U.S. states increased by 35 percent. By 2000, out of all Georgia residents who were born in the U.S., 34 percent (2.8 million) were born in a different state. Among Atlanta residents, the proportion of U.S. born residents who were born in other states was 40.6 percent (1.7 million). Of all Georgia residents who were born out-of-state, more than half were born in another Southern state, 20 percent in both the Northeast and Midwest, and less than 10 percent in the West. In addition, out of all Georgia residents, 12.7 percent reported that they resided in a different state in 1995, compared to 15.4 percent in Atlanta.
Who migrates and why? Migration of labor occurs at local, regional, national and international levels. Workers migrate from one area to another in order to take advantage of better wages or opportunities or a lower cost of living. However, migration decisions are shaped not just by wage and employment opportunities, but also by the personal characteristics of migrants.
According to information from the Current Population Survey in March 2000, migration rates differ by characteristics such as age, race, income, housing tenure, marital status, and education. On a national level, younger adults are more likely to migrate than older adults. In 2000, 20 to 29-year olds had the highest out-of-state migration rates of all age groups. Blacks and Asians had higher out-of-state migration rates than Whites or Hispanics. Individuals living below the official poverty level were more likely to migrate than those living above it. Renters were significantly more likely to migrate out-of-state than homeowners. Households with annual incomes less than $25,000 were more likely to move out-of-state than those with higher incomes. Singles, divorcees, and separated people were more likely to relocate than married people. Unemployed individuals were more likely to move than the employed. Finally, individuals with a college degree were more likely to move out-ofstate than those without a degree.
What can be learned from migration patterns? Presumably, Georgia has become a premier domestic migration magnet due in a large part to its growing economy (at least in the 1990s), its relatively low cost of living
and warmer climate. Since 2000, however, there is some indication that Georgia is beginning to lose some of its magnetism. After averaging over 70,000 newcomers a year in domestic migration between 1990 and 2000, Georgia has attracted significantly fewer migrants over the past few years. Between 2001 and 2002, annual domestic migration barely reached 36,000.
What impact have these recent population shifts in and out of Georgia had on the state's labor market? A number of researchers (Blanchard and Katz 1992; Treyz 1993) have concluded that differences in employment growth across states can be attributed primarily to migration. As workers move to a new place in search of better opportunities elsewhere, their migration away from an area shrinks the labor supply there and eventually has the effect of raising wages when labor becomes scarce. Higher wages then fuel population growth because over time other workers notice the better wages in that area and decide to migrate there for better wages or job opportunities. As workers continue to migrate, the labor supply is restored, jobs become more scarce and wages tend to fall again, leading to renewed out-migration.
Migration can be seen in this sense as a means of maintaining equilibrium in the national labor market. In other words, migration into a state increases as wages and jobs increase and decreases with population density. However, there is typically a significant lag between the job growth or decline phase and the large-scale arrival or departure of people.
Employment vs. population growth rates in GA (1972 - 2002)
Employment growth
7.00%
Population growth
3.00%
5.00%
2.50%
3.00%
2.00%
1.00%
1.50%
73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 1.00% -1.00%
-3.00% -5.00%
Emp .g r o w th ra te Po p .g ro w th r a te
0.50% 0.00%
In Georgia's case, both employment and population growth followed similar trends in the 1970s, then in the 1980s employment grew faster than population, and in the early 1990s, population began to grow more sharply than employment. Looking at percentage change from 1982 to 1992, the job growth rates in Georgia outpaced the rate of population growth. Interestingly, following the 1991 recession, the situation reversed itself and from 1992 to 2002, population growth far outran employment growth. These fluctuations reflect the shifting supply and demand in the labor market and the overall impact of labor migration in and out of Georgia.
In summary, the state's dynamic job growth and low cost of living in the 1980s relative to other states drew record numbers of workers from other states. However, Georgia's population did not grow exponentially until the 1990s, when word began to get out. Between 1990 and 2000, the state's population ballooned by over 26 percent, the sixth largest growth rate in the country. In 2000, employment growth began to slow and then declined in each of the last two years as the pieces of the pie got smaller and smaller.
A lot can be learned about the economy by watching trends in migration and visa versa. In this case, we can suppose that even without a recession, it is likely that Georgia would have experienced stagnation in wages and employment over the last few years. The reason may have more to do with Physics, however, than with Economics. As Sir Isaac Newton observed more than 300 years ago, "What goes up, must come down."
3
February Employment Situation
Nonfarm payrolls in Georgia gained 17,000 jobs in February following 74,900 jobs lost (as revised) during January. The over-the month gain was the largest February gain since 2000, yet still several thousand below the average over the past ten years. Declines continued in Goods-Producing sectors as the Manufacturing, and Trade, Transportation and Utilities supersectors both lost a significant number of jobs for a second month. Gains occurred throughout all the Service-Providing sectors in February, yielding 17,200 jobs over the month.
The Construction sector added 1,900 jobs in February, the largest gain in a single month since June 2001. Employment in Specialty Trade Contractors increased by two percent over the month, adding 2,400 jobs. This was the first over-the-month job gain in the industry in over two and a half years. Construction of Buildings increased marginally while Heavy and Civil Engineering payrolls declined for the second consecutive month. Highly dependent on public works projects, the latter industry has been a victim of budget cuts.
Pinched by higher input costs and low demand, payrolls in the Manufacturing sector declined for the seventh month in a row, losing 2,200 jobs in February. Since July 2002, Manufacturing has lost 15,400 jobs. Most of the employment loss in February took place in Non-Durable Goods, which declined for the fourth consecutive month. The losses in Non-Durable Goods were primarily in Food manufacturing. Durable Goods manufacturing payrolls declined moderately in February. Within Durable Goods, Wood Products manufacturing payrolls declined by 1,000 over the month, and have declined by 9.3 percent over the year. Imports continue to hurt this industry as lower production costs and tariffs allow China to construct and sell furniture at lower prices relative to U.S. manufacturers.
Trade, Transportation and Warehousing payrolls declined by 9,000 over the month, following a loss of 29,700 in January. Retail trade lost 6,400 jobs, as post-holiday layoffs persisted for the second month. Continued losses in Food and Beverage Stores and General Merchandise Stores accounted for most of the employment weakness in Retail trade in February. Employment in Wholesale trade was little changed in February and has been in a state of gradual decline since October 2000.
4
Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities payrolls declined by 2,500 in February. Truck transportation payrolls fell by 1,600 as high diesel prices have continued to hurt all firms within the industry, particularly the smaller ones. A gain of 200 jobs in Air transportation was offset by a loss of the same amount in Warehousing and Storage. Utilities payrolls edged down slightly again in February and have declined 2.4 percent over the year.
The Information sector lost 13,200 jobs over the year, but gained 700 in February in its first job gain in ten months. Gains occurred partly in the Wired Telecommunications industry, as Wireless Carriers, Cable and Internet Service Providers remained little changed.
Financial Activities payrolls increased marginally in February, following a decline of 2,000 in the previous month. Over the year, employment in this sector has remained essentially unchanged. Real Estate, Rental and Leasing payrolls increased by 1,900 (3.4%) over the month as the spring build-up period began. The job gains in Real Estate more than offset the loss of 1,700 jobs in Finance and Insurance over the month.
Professional and Business Services payrolls grew by 9,800 in February. The largest increase occurred in Administrative and Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services, which added 6,500 jobs over the month. This sector includes establishments performing routine support activities for the day-to-day operations of other organizations. Activities performed include: office administration, hiring and placing of personnel, document preparation and similar clerical services, solicitation, collection, security and surveillance services, cleaning, and waste disposal services.
Elsewhere in Professional and Business Services, a seasonal increase in Accounting, Tax Preparation and Bookkeeping services (+7.6%) and modest increases in Professional, Scientific and Technical Consulting services (+1.8 %) and in Employment Services (+1.3%) more than offset other declines. Computer Systems Design payrolls have declined by 3.9 percent over the year.
Educational and Health Services payrolls were essentially flat in February. Health Care and Social Assistance payrolls added 1,100 jobs, primarily in hospitals, after a lackluster performance in December and January. This gain was offset, however, by a loss of 1,100 jobs in Educational Services. Employment at the state's private colleges, universities and technical schools increased by 700 in February, and grew at a 6.6 percent rate over the past year.
Leisure and Hospitality payrolls increased by 4,000 jobs in February, following seven straight months of decline. Most of the over-the-month employment gain was in particularly Food Services and Drinking Places that gained 3,700 jobs over the month. Arts, Entertainment and Recreation payrolls gained jobs this month for the first time in more than six months. Reduced travel, likely due to economic and geopolitical uncertainties, has not boded well for the lodging industry.
Other Services payrolls increased by 7,800 jobs, or about 4.3 percent in February, more than recouping losses over the prior two months. This sector comprises establishments engaged in providing services not specifically provided for elsewhere in the classification system, some of which tend to have seasonal increases in the spring.
Government payrolls increased by 3,700 jobs over the month, as local and state governments entered into a hiring frenzy, particularly in state and local education. Federal government payrolls declined for the second month in a row.
Produced by the Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Information & Analysis, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
For more information, please contact Lili Stern at (404) 656-3177 or (800) 338-2082 Fax (404) 651-9568 Email: Lili.Stern@dol.state.ga.us
Georgia Nonagricultural Employment (000s)
Preliminary FEB 2003
Revised JAN 2003
Revised FEB 2002
Change in Jobs from JAN 2003
Net
%
Change in Jobs from FEB 2002
Net
%
Total nonfarm
3,869.8
3,852.8
3,876.5
+17.0 +0.4
-6.7 -0.2
Total private
3,233.9
3,220.6
3,250.9
+13.3 +0.4
-17.0 -0.5
Goods producing
667.6
667.8
679.4
-.2 +0.0
-11.8 -1.7
Service-providing
3,202.2
3,185.0
3,197.1
+17.2 +0.5
+5.1 +0.2
Natural resources and mining
11.9
11.8
12.6
+.1 +0.8
-.7 -5.6
Construction
195.4
193.5
198.6
+1.9 +1.0
-3.2 -1.6
Construction of buildings
44.0
43.9
45.8
+.1 +0.2
-1.8 -3.9
Heavy and civil engineering construction
31.4
32.0
31.2
-.6 -1.9
+.2 +0.6
Specialty trade contractors
120.0
117.6
121.6
+2.4 +2.0
-1.6 -1.3
Manufacturing
460.3
462.5
468.2
-2.2 -0.5
-7.9 -1.7
Durable goods
199.2
199.5
206.4
-.3 -0.2
-7.2 -3.5
Wood product manufacturing
23.3
24.3
25.7
-1.0 -4.1
-2.4 -9.3
Transportation equipment manufacturing
35.1
35.2
36.6
-.1 -0.3
-1.5 -4.1
Non-durable goods
261.1
263.0
261.8
-1.9 -0.7
-.7 -0.3
Food manufacturing
66.3
68.0
65.0
-1.7 -2.5
+1.3 +2.0
Textile mills
38.1
38.1
41.2
+.0 +0.0
-3.1 -7.5
Trade, transportation and utilities
820.6
829.6
822.4
-9.0 -1.1
-1.8 -0.2
Wholesale trade
204.0
204.1
205.8
-.1 +0.0
-1.8 -0.9
Retail trade
448.3
454.7
443.2
-6.4 -1.4
+5.1 +1.2
Food and beverage stores
77.8
79.5
83.3
-1.7 -2.1
-5.5 -6.6
General merchandise stores
86.2
87.6
85.2
-1.4 -1.6
+1.0 +1.2
Transportation, warehousing and utilities
168.3
170.8
173.4
-2.5 -1.5
-5.1 -2.9
Utilities
20.2
20.4
20.7
-.2 -1.0
-.5 -2.4
Transportation and warehousing
148.1
150.4
152.7
-2.3 -1.5
-4.6 -3.0
Air transportation
40.0
39.8
39.4
+.2 +0.5
+.6 +1.5
Truck transportation
43.9
45.5
44.8
-1.6 -3.5
-.9 -2.0
Couriers and messengers
18.2
18.2
17.9
+.0 +0.0
+.3 +1.7
Warehousing and storage
25.1
25.3
22.8
-.2 -0.8
+2.3 +10.1
Information
127.0
126.3
140.2
+.7 +0.6
-13.2 -9.4
Cable and other subscription programming
5.6
5.7
6.1
-.1 -1.8
-.5 -8.2
Telecommunications
54.0
53.9
62.5
+.1 +0.2
-8.5 -13.6
Wired telecommunications carriers
32.5
32.4
35.3
+.1 +0.3
-2.8 -7.9
Wireless telecommunications carriers
14.9
14.9
14.5
+.0 +0.0
+.4 +2.8
Internet service providers, search portals & DP
19.9
19.9
22.0
+.0 +0.0
-2.1 -9.5
Financial activities
212.0
211.8
211.8
+.2 +0.1
+.2 +0.1
Finance and insurance
154.7
156.4
155.2
-1.7 -1.1
-.5 -0.3
Insurance carriers and related activities
65.8
66.5
65.3
-.7 -1.1
+.5 +0.8
Real Estate, rental and leasing
57.3
55.4
56.6
+1.9 +3.4
+.7 +1.2
Professional and business services
516.9
507.1
520.9
+9.8 +1.9
-4.0 -0.8
Professional, scientific and technical services
191.3
187.9
200.7
+3.4 +1.8
-9.4 -4.7
Accounting, tax preparation and bookkeeping
31.2
29.0
34.7
+2.2 +7.6
-3.5 -10.1
Architectural, engineering and related services
34.3
33.4
33.5
+.9 +2.7
+.8 +2.4
Computer systems design and related services
44.0
44.6
45.8
-.6 -1.3
-1.8 -3.9
Management, scientific and technical services
24.2
23.2
26.0
+1.0 +4.3
-1.8 -6.9
Management of companies and enterprises
73.5
73.6
76.0
-.1 -0.1
-2.5 -3.3
Admin and support, waste mngmnt and remediation
252.1
245.6
244.2
+6.5 +2.6
+7.9 +3.2
Employment services
122.0
120.4
106.6
+1.6 +1.3
+15.4 +14.4
Educational and health services
374.7
374.7
366.8
+.0 +0.0
+7.9 +2.2
Educational services
59.1
60.2
58.3
-1.1 -1.8
+.8 +1.4
Colleges, universities, and professional schools
17.8
17.1
16.7
+.7 +4.1
+1.1 +6.6
Health care and social assistance
315.6
314.5
308.5
+1.1 +0.3
+7.1 +2.3
Hospitals
107.2
106.1
104.0
+1.1 +1.0
+3.2 +3.1
Nursing and residential care facilities
48.0
48.4
46.9
-.4 -0.8
+1.1 +2.3
Social assistance
46.6
46.6
44.3
+.0 +0.0
+2.3 +5.2
Leisure and hospitality
326.5
322.5
321.5
+4.0 +1.2
+5.0 +1.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation
35.2
35.0
34.7
+.2 +0.6
+.5 +1.4
Accommodation and food services
291.3
287.5
286.8
+3.8 +1.3
+4.5 +1.6
Food services and drinking places
255.3
251.6
247.8
+3.7 +1.5
+7.5 +3.0
Other services
188.6
180.8
187.9
+7.8 +4.3
+.7 +0.4
Government
635.9
632.2
625.6
+3.7 +0.6
+10.3 +1.6
Federal government
96.2
96.8
95.9
-.6 -0.6
+.3 +0.3
Department of defense
33.3
33.3
33.6
+.0 +0.0
-.3 -0.9
State government
153.6
151.7
152.7
+1.9 +1.3
+.9 +0.6
State govt education
60.5
58.4
56.9
+2.1 +3.6
+3.6 +6.3
Local government
386.1
383.7
377.0
+2.4 +0.6
+9.1 +2.4
Local govt education
235.5
234.0
228.5
+1.5 +0.6
+7.0 +3.1
Note: The data included in this release reflect the conversion from the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) basis to the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis. Unlike the previous
publication structure under SIC, the new published series are not additive. These preliminary estimates were prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, based upon
monthly reports submitted by selected employers throughout Georgia. The estimates include all full- and part-time wage and salary workers who were employed during or received pay for any part of the pay
period that includes the twelfth of the month. Proprietors, domestic workers, self-employed persons, unpaid family workers and personnel of the armed forces are excluded. Estimates based on 2002 benchmark.
Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Information & Analysis
5
Atlanta Nonagricultural Employment (000s)
Preliminary FEB 2003
Revised JAN 2003
Revised FEB 2002
Change in Jobs from JAN 2003
Net
%
Change in Jobs from FEB 2002
Net
%
Total nonfarm Total private Goods producing Service-providing
Natural resources and mining Construction
Construction of buildings Specialty trade contractors Manufacturing Durable goods
Computer and electronic products Transportation equipment manufacturing Non-durable goods Food manufacturing Trade, transportation and utilities Wholesale trade Retail trade Food and beverage stores General merchandise stores Transportation, warehousing and utilities
Utilities Transportation and warehousing
Air transportation Truck transportation Couriers and messengers Warehousing and storage Information Cable and other subscription programming Telecommunications Wired telecommunications carriers Wireless telecommunications carriers Financial activities Finance and insurance Insurance carriers and related activities Real estate, rental and leasing Professional and business services Professional, scientific and technical services Accounting, tax preparation, and bookkeeping Architectural, engineering and related services Computer systems design and related services Management, scientific and technical services Management of companies and enterprises Admin and support, waste mngmnt and remediation Employment services Educational and health services Health care and social assistance Hospitals Social assistance Leisure and hospitality Arts, entertainment and recreation Accommodation and food services Food services and drinking places Other services Government Federal government State government Local government
2,136.6 1,848.1
281.5 1,855.1
1.7 112.3 25.4 70.5 167.5 78.7 14.1 10.2 88.8 26.0 500.2 140.4 248.6 42.6 45.5 111.2 10.5 100.7 38.5 25.6 14.1
11.8 97.9
4.8 43.1 27.3 12.9 144.2 105.6 46.8 38.6 348.1 142.7 23.5 24.7 33.3 19.6 54.4 151.0 73.3 199.7 163.3 55.7 25.7 180.8 22.1 158.7 138.0 95.7 288.5 47.8 56.7 184.0
2,181.9 1,888.8
286.0 1,895.9
1.7 115.4 27.3 71.9 168.9 81.5 14.2 12.8 87.4 24.8 515.6 141.0 261.1 43.9 50.5 113.5 10.6 102.9 39.4 25.6 14.2 12.2 99.3
4.8 43.9 27.6 13.0 144.9 105.7 47.0 39.2 354.1 142.1 18.4 25.4 32.9 19.7 55.4 156.6 76.6 201.1 164.1 56.3 26.0 189.1 23.0 166.1 145.1 98.7 293.1 49.0 58.3 185.8
2,151.9 1,873.6
288.1 1,863.8
1.9 118.0 26.1 75.2 168.2 82.7 15.0
9.5 85.5 22.0 504.2 142.6 247.0 46.9 45.2 114.6 10.6 104.0 38.3 24.9 14.6 11.7 109.0
5.0 51.9 30.7 12.1 147.9 108.4 47.8 39.5 356.3 150.3 23.5 25.9 35.0 21.8 56.9 149.1 66.1 193.5 158.5 54.8 24.7 182.7 21.3 161.4 139.9 91.9 278.3 45.0 56.0 177.3
-45.3 -40.7 -4.5 -40.8
+.0 -3.1 -1.9 -1.4 -1.4 -2.8
-.1 -2.6 +1.4 +1.2 -15.4
-.6 -12.5 -1.3 -5.0 -2.3
-.1 -2.2
-.9 +.0 -.1 -.4 -1.4 +.0 -.8 -.3 -.1 -.7 -.1 -.2 -.6 -6.0 +.6 +5.1 -.7 +.4 -.1 -1.0 -5.6 -3.3 -1.4 -.8 -.6 -.3 -8.3 -.9 -7.4 -7.1 -3.0 -4.6 -1.2 -1.6 -1.8
-2.1 -2.2 -1.6 -2.2 +0.0 -2.7 -7.0 -1.9 -0.8 -3.4 -0.7 -20.3 +1.6 +4.8 -3.0 -0.4 -4.8 -3.0 -9.9 -2.0 -0.9 -2.1 -2.3 +0.0 -0.7 -3.3 -1.4 +0.0 -1.8 -1.1 -0.8 -0.5 -0.1 -0.4 -1.5 -1.7 +0.4 +27.7 -2.8 +1.2 -0.5 -1.8 -3.6 -4.3 -0.7 -0.5 -1.1 -1.2 -4.4 -3.9 -4.5 -4.9 -3.0 -1.6 -2.4 -2.7 -1.0
-15.3 -25.5
-6.6 -8.7
-.2 -5.7
-.7 -4.7
-.7 -4.0
-.9 +.7 +3.3 +4.0 -4.0 -2.2 +1.6 -4.3 +.3 -3.4 -.1 -3.3 +.2 +.7 -.5 +.1 -11.1 -.2 -8.8 -3.4 +.8 -3.7 -2.8 -1.0 -.9 -8.2 -7.6 +.0 -1.2 -1.7 -2.2 -2.5 +1.9 +7.2 +6.2 +4.8 +.9 +1.0 -1.9 +.8 -2.7 -1.9 +3.8 +10.2 +2.8 +.7 +6.7
-0.7 -1.4 -2.3 -0.5 -10.5 -4.8 -2.7 -6.3 -0.4 -4.8 -6.0 +7.4 +3.9 +18.2 -0.8 -1.5 +0.6 -9.2 +0.7 -3.0 -0.9 -3.2 +0.5 +2.8 -3.4 +0.9 -10.2 -4.0 -17.0 -11.1 +6.6 -2.5 -2.6 -2.1 -2.3 -2.3 -5.1 +0.0 -4.6 -4.9 -10.1 -4.4 +1.3 +10.9 +3.2 +3.0 +1.6 +4.0 -1.0 +3.8 -1.7 -1.4 +4.1 +3.7 +6.2 +1.3 +3.8
Note: The data included in this release reflect the conversion from the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) basis to the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis. Unlike the previous
publication structure under SIC, the new published series are not additive. These preliminary estimates were prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, based upon monthly reports submitted by selected employers in the Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Rockdale, Spalding and Walton counties. The estimates include all full- and part-time wage and salary workers who were employed during or received pay for any part of the pay period that includes the twelfth of the month. Proprietors, domestic workers, self-employed persons, unpaid family workers and personnel of the armed forces are excluded. Estimates based on 2002 benchmark.
Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Information & Analysis
6
Albany Nonagricultural Employment (000s)
Preliminary FEB 2003
Revised JAN 2003
Revised FEB 2002
Change in Jobs
from JAN 2003
Net
%
Change in Jobs
from FEB 2002
Net
%
Total nonfarm Total private Goods producing Service-providing
Natural resources, mining and construction Manufacturing Trade, transportation and utilities
Wholesale trade Retail trade Transportation, warehousing and utilities Information Financial activities Professional and business services Educational and health services Leisure and hospitality Other services Government Federal government State and local government
56.9
57.0
45.4
45.4
10.5
10.6
46.4
46.4
3.0
3.0
7.5
7.6
11.7
11.5
1.9
1.9
7.0
6.8
2.8
2.8
1.0
1.0
2.0
2.1
4.9
5.0
8.2
8.1
4.2
4.2
2.9
2.9
11.5
11.6
2.4
2.4
9.1
9.2
55.1
-.1 -0.2
+1.8 +3.3
43.6
+.0 +0.0
+1.8 +4.1
10.4
-.1 -0.9
+.1 +1.0
44.7
+.0 +0.0
+1.7 +3.8
2.9
+.0 +0.0
+.1 +3.4
7.5
-.1 -1.3
+.0 +0.0
11.6
+.2 +1.7
+.1 +0.9
2.0
+.0 +0.0
-.1 -5.0
6.8
+.2 +2.9
+.2 +2.9
2.8
+.0 +0.0
+.0 +0.0
1.0
+.0 +0.0
+.0 +0.0
2.1
-.1 -4.8
-.1 -4.8
4.6
-.1 -2.0
+.3 +6.5
7.3
+.1 +1.2
+.9 +12.3
4.0
+.0 +0.0
+.2 +5.0
2.6
+.0 +0.0
+.3 +11.5
11.5
-.1 -0.9
+.0 +0.0
2.5
+.0 +0.0
-.1 -4.0
9.0
-.1 -1.1
+.1 +1.1
Note: The data included in this release reflect the conversion from the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) basis to the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis. Unlike
the previous publication structure under SIC, the new published series are not additive. These preliminary estimates were prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, based upon monthly reports submitted by selected employers in the Albany Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Dougherty and Lee counties. The estimates include all full- and parttime wage and salary workers who were employed during or received pay for any part of the pay period that includes the twelfth of the month. Proprietors, domestic workers, self-employed persons, unpaid family workers and personnel of the armed forces are excluded. Estimates based on 2002 benchmark.
Athens Nonagricultural Employment (000s)
Preliminary FEB 2003
Revised JAN 2003
Revised FEB 2002
Change in Jobs
from JAN 2003
Net
%
Change in Jobs
from FEB 2002
Net
%
Total nonfarm Total private Goods producing Service-providing
Natural resources, mining and construction Manufacturing Trade, transportation and utilities
Wholesale trade Retail trade Transportation, warehousing and utilities Information Financial activities Professional and business services Educational and health services Leisure and hospitality Other services Government Federal government State and local government
72.9
72.8
52.0
52.1
12.3
12.6
60.6
60.2
3.0
3.0
9.3
9.6
12.4
12.3
1.9
2.0
9.3
9.1
1.2
1.2
1.0
1.0
2.5
2.5
4.7
4.7
8.7
8.7
6.7
6.7
3.7
3.6
20.9
20.7
1.8
1.8
19.1
18.9
72.3
+.1 +0.1
+.6 +0.8
51.6
-.1 -0.2
+.4 +0.8
12.8
-.3 -2.4
-.5 -3.9
59.5
+.4 +0.7
+1.1 +1.8
3.2
+.0 +0.0
-.2 -6.3
9.6
-.3 -3.1
-.3 -3.1
12.1
+.1 +0.8
+.3 +2.5
2.0
-.1 -5.0
-.1 -5.0
8.8
+.2 +2.2
+.5 +5.7
1.3
+.0 +0.0
-.1 -7.7
1.1
+.0 +0.0
-.1 -9.1
2.5
+.0 +0.0
+.0 +0.0
4.7
+.0 +0.0
+.0 +0.0
8.4
+.0 +0.0
+.3 +3.6
6.5
+.0 +0.0
+.2 +3.1
3.5
+.1 +2.8
+.2 +5.7
20.7
+.2 +1.0
+.2 +1.0
1.7
+.0 +0.0
+.1 +5.9
19.0
+.2 +1.1
+.1 +0.5
Note: The data included in this release reflect the conversion from the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) basis to the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis. Unlike
the previous publication structure under SIC, the new published series are not additive. These preliminary estimates were prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, based upon monthly reports submitted by selected employers in the Athens Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Clarke, Madison and Oconee counties. The estimates include all fulland part-time wage and salary workers who were employed during or received pay for any part of the pay period that includes the twelfth of the month. Proprietors, domestic workers, self-employed persons, unpaid family workers and personnel of the armed forces are excluded. Estimates based on 2002 benchmark.
Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Information & Analysis
7
Augusta-Aiken Nonagricultural Employment (000s)
Preliminary FEB 2003
Revised JAN 2003
Revised FEB 2002
Change in Jobs
from JAN 2003
Net
%
Change in Jobs
from FEB 2002
Net
%
Total nonfarm Total private Goods producing Service-providing
Natural resources, mining and construction Manufacturing Trade, transportation and utilities
Wholesale trade Retail trade Transportation, warehousing and utilities Information Financial activities Professional and business services Educational and health services Educational services Health care and social assistance
Hospitals Leisure and hospitality Other services Government Federal government State and local government
196.1 157.4
37.5 158.6
12.3 25.2 32.4
3.8 23.8
4.8 3.2 7.1 29.0 23.2 3.8 19.4 6.4 17.0 8.0 38.7 7.1 31.6
195.4 156.7
37.7 157.7
12.3 25.4 32.2
3.8 23.5
4.9 3.2 7.1 28.8 22.8 3.8 19.0 6.3 17.0 7.9 38.7 7.1 31.6
196.6 157.7
38.8 157.8
12.9 25.9 32.4
4.0 23.4
5.0 3.3 7.0 28.5 22.6 3.7 18.9 6.1 17.2 7.9 38.9 7.1 31.8
+.7 +0.4 +.7 +0.4 -.2 -0.5 +.9 +0.6 +.0 +0.0 -.2 -0.8 +.2 +0.6 +.0 +0.0 +.3 +1.3 -.1 -2.0 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.2 +0.7 +.4 +1.8 +.0 +0.0 +.4 +2.1 +.1 +1.6 +.0 +0.0 +.1 +1.3 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0
-.5 -0.3 -.3 -0.2 -1.3 -3.4 +.8 +0.5 -.6 -4.7 -.7 -2.7 +.0 +0.0 -.2 -5.0 +.4 +1.7 -.2 -4.0 -.1 -3.0 +.1 +1.4 +.5 +1.8 +.6 +2.7 +.1 +2.7 +.5 +2.6 +.3 +4.9 -.2 -1.2 +.1 +1.3 -.2 -0.5 +.0 +0.0 -.2 -0.6
Note: The data included in this release reflect the conversion from the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) basis to the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis. Unlike
the previous publication structure under SIC, the new published series are not additive. These preliminary estimates were prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, based upon monthly reports submitted by selected employers in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Columbia, McDuffie and Richmond counties in Georgia and Aiken and Edgefield counties in South Carolina. The estimates include all full- and part-time wage and salary workers who were employed during or received pay for any part of the pay period that includes the twelfth of the month. Proprietors, domestic workers, self-employed persons, unpaid family workers and personnel of the armed forces are excluded. Estimates based on 2002 benchmark.
Columbus Nonagricultural Employment (000s)
Preliminary FEB 2003
Revised JAN 2003
Revised FEB 2002
Change in Jobs from JAN 2003
Net
%
Change in Jobs from FEB 2002
Net
%
Total nonfarm Total private Goods producing Service-providing
Natural resources, mining and construction Manufacturing Trade, transportation and utilities
Wholesale trade Retail trade Transportation, warehousing and utilities Information Financial activities Finance and insurance Insurance carriers and related activities Professional and business services Educational and health services Leisure and hospitality Accommodation and food services Other services Government Federal government State and local government
114.3 93.0 20.1 94.2
5.4 14.7 17.6
2.1 13.6
1.9 6.2 8.1 6.3 4.7 14.3 10.9 10.3 8.7 5.5 21.3 5.4 15.9
114.5 93.2 20.3 94.2
5.4 14.9 17.8
2.1 13.8
1.9 6.2 7.9 6.2 4.6 14.3 10.8 10.5 9.0 5.4 21.3 5.4 15.9
117.0 95.7 22.3 94.7
5.8 16.5 17.1
2.1 13.0
2.0 7.8 7.6 5.9 4.2 14.1 10.7 10.7 9.6 5.4 21.3 5.4 15.9
-.2 -0.2 -.2 -0.2 -.2 -1.0 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 -.2 -1.3 -.2 -1.1 +.0 +0.0 -.2 -1.4 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.2 +2.5 +.1 +1.6 +.1 +2.2 +.0 +0.0 +.1 +0.9 -.2 -1.9 -.3 -3.3 +.1 +1.9 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0
-2.7 -2.3 -2.7 -2.8 -2.2 -9.9
-.5 -0.5 -.4 -6.9 -1.8 -10.9 +.5 +2.9 +.0 +0.0 +.6 +4.6 -.1 -5.0 -1.6 -20.5 +.5 +6.6 +.4 +6.8 +.5 +11.9 +.2 +1.4 +.2 +1.9 -.4 -3.7 -.9 -9.4 +.1 +1.9 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0
Note: The data included in this release reflect the conversion from the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) basis to the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis. Unlike
the previous publication structure under SIC, the new published series are not additive. These preliminary estimates were prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, based upon monthly reports submitted by selected employers in the Columbus Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Chattahoochee, Harris and Muscogee counties in Georgia and Russell County in Alabama. The estimates include all full- and part-time wage and salary workers who were employed during or received pay for any part of the pay period that includes the twelfth of the month. Proprietors, domestic workers, self-employed persons, unpaid family workers and personnel of the armed forces are excluded. Estimates based on 2002 benchmark.
Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Information & Analysis
8
Macon Nonagricultural Employment (000s)
Preliminary FEB 2003
Revised JAN 2003
Revised FEB 2002
Change in Jobs from JAN 2003
Net
%
Change in Jobs from FEB 2002
Net
%
Total nonfarm Total private Goods producing Service-providing
Natural resources, mining and construction Manufacturing Trade, transportation and utilities
Wholesale trade Retail trade Transportation, warehousing and utilities Information Financial activities Professional and business services Educational and health services Leisure and hospitality Other services Government Federal government State and local government
147.7 113.4 21.9 125.8
6.3 15.6 25.5
3.3 17.9
4.3 2.6 10.2 15.4 18.4 13.7 5.7 34.3 13.9 20.4
148.1 113.7 22.0 126.1
6.3 15.7 25.6
3.3 18.0
4.3 2.6 10.1 15.2 18.8 13.8 5.6 34.4 14.0 20.4
145.9 111.7 22.3 123.6
6.4 15.9 25.7
3.5 18.1
4.1 2.7 9.2 15.1 18.5 12.8 5.4 34.2 14.0 20.2
-.4 -0.3 -.3 -0.3 -.1 -0.5 -.3 -0.2 +.0 +0.0 -.1 -0.6 -.1 -0.4 +.0 +0.0 -.1 -0.6 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.1 +1.0 +.2 +1.3 -.4 -2.1 -.1 -0.7 +.1 +1.8 -.1 -0.3 -.1 -0.7 +.0 +0.0
+1.8 +1.2 +1.7 +1.5
-.4 -1.8 +2.2 +1.8
-.1 -1.6 -.3 -1.9 -.2 -0.8 -.2 -5.7 -.2 -1.1 +.2 +4.9 -.1 -3.7 +1.0 +10.9 +.3 +2.0 -.1 -0.5 +.9 +7.0 +.3 +5.6 +.1 +0.3 -.1 -0.7 +.2 +1.0
Note: The data included in this release reflect the conversion from the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) basis to the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis. Unlike
the previous publication structure under SIC, the new published series are not additive. These preliminary estimates were prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, based upon monthly reports submitted by selected employers in the Macon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Bibb, Houston, Jones, Peach and Twiggs counties. The estimates include all full- and part-time wage and salary workers who were employed during or received pay for any part of the pay period that includes the twelfth of the month. Proprietors, domestic workers, self-employed
persons, unpaid family workers and personnel of the armed forces are excluded. Estimates based on 2002 benchmark.
Savannah Nonagricultural Employment (000s)
Preliminary FEB 2003
Revised JAN 2003
Revised FEB 2002
Change in Jobs from JAN 2003
Net
%
Change in Jobs from FEB 2002
Net
%
Total nonfarm Total private Goods producing Service-providing
Natural resources, mining and construction Manufacturing Transportation equipment Paper manufacturing Trade, transportation and utilities
Wholesale trade Retail trade Transportation, warehousing and utilities Information Financial activities Professional and business services Educational and health services Leisure and hospitality Other services Government Federal government State and local government
138.9 118.2 22.1 116.8
8.2 13.9
5.1 3.0 30.5 4.5 17.8 8.2 2.5 5.6 15.9 17.7 15.5 8.4 20.7 2.6 18.1
137.4 116.9 22.2 115.2
8.2 14.0
5.1 3.0 30.1 4.5 17.4 8.2 2.5 5.6 15.1 17.5 15.6 8.3 20.5 2.6 17.9
135.7 115.2 23.4 112.3
8.5 14.9
5.3 3.2 29.3 4.4 17.1 7.8 2.5 5.3 13.6 17.1 16.8 7.2 20.5 2.6 17.9
+1.5 +1.1 +1.3 +1.1
-.1 -0.5 +1.6 +1.4
+.0 +0.0 -.1 -0.7 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.4 +1.3 +.0 +0.0 +.4 +2.3 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.8 +5.3 +.2 +1.1 -.1 -0.6 +.1 +1.2 +.2 +1.0 +.0 +0.0 +.2 +1.1
+3.2 +2.4 +3.0 +2.6 -1.3 -5.6 +4.5 +4.0
-.3 -3.5 -1.0 -6.7
-.2 -3.8 -.2 -6.3 +1.2 +4.1 +.1 +2.3 +.7 +4.1 +.4 +5.1 +.0 +0.0 +.3 +5.7 +2.3 +16.9 +.6 +3.5 -1.3 -7.7 +1.2 +16.7 +.2 +1.0 +.0 +0.0 +.2 +1.1
Note: The data included in this release reflect the conversion from the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) basis to the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis. Unlike
the previous publication structure under SIC, the new published series are not additive. These preliminary estimates were prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, based upon monthly reports submitted by selected employers in the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Bryan, Chatham and Effingham counties. The estimates include all
full- and part-time wage and salary workers who were employed during or received pay for any part of the pay period that includes the twelfth of the month. Proprietors, domestic workers, self-employed
persons, unpaid family workers and personnel of the armed forces are excluded. Estimates based on 2002 benchmark.
Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Information & Analysis
9
Dimensions - Measuring Georgia's Labor Force
Unemployment rate
Unemployment rates -- Georgia and U.S.
unchanged in February
7.0%
Georgia
U.S.
Essentially unchanged over the month,
Georgia's unemployment rate remained
at 4.5 percent in February, bucking a 6.0% long-term rising trend that had been in
place for the past twenty consecutive
years. As a matter of fact, the upward
trending began more than twenty years ago, however there were a few breaks 5.0%
in the pattern. In total, the state had seen
an increase in its rate during this period
for twenty-nine of the past thirty-three
years. The only other time the state recorded a constant rate during this period was in 1974. One year ago, Georgia's rate was 5 percent, its highest February
4.0%
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
2002
2003
rate in nine years.
197,000 this month, that number was tistical Areas (MSAs) Atlanta, at 4.7
The U.S. unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, declined slightly in February to 6.4 percent. However, despite the decrease this month, 6.4 percent is the nation's second highest jobless rate in nearly nine years. One year earlier, the U.S. rate was 6.1 percent.
Despite an over-the-month decline in the number of persons receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefits during the reference week in February, Georgia's total count of unemployed persons increased this month by 0.7 percent. This rise was due primarily to an over-the-month increase in the number of re-entrants in the labor force. Although the state's unemployment count was up in February, at less than
considerably below the recession high levels posted in all of 2002.
At more than 4.1 million, Georgia's total count of civilian employed was up in February by nearly 23,000 or 0.6 percent. This was the state's second highest civilian employment level ever. On the heels of two straight months of job declines, nonagricultural employment rebounded in February posting an over-the-month gain and fueling the over-the-month expansion in the state's civilian employment level.
Area data
The unemployment rates in only two of Georgia's seven Metropolitan Sta-
percent, and Macon, at 3.8 percent, mirrored the statewide trend in February and remained the same over the month. Athens' rate, which was one of three MSAs to decline in February, posted the lowest metro area rate - 2.7 percent. Despite an over the month decline, Columbus, at 5.1 percent, posted the highest rate in the state for the seventh straight month.
In February, only twenty counties got their lead from the state and remained the same over the month. Eighty counties had jobless rates to increase in February and the remaining 59 counties declined over the month. Despite an over-the-month decline of nearly one percentage point, Warren County,
at 11.9 percent, posted the highest
Southeastern states and U.S. unemployment rates
Percent
9
county rate in the state. Oconee County, at 1.8 percent, had the lowest rate.
8
Fe bruary January
7.1
7
6.5 6.3 6.1
6.3 6.6 6.6 6.7
6.4 6.5
6 5.6 5.6
5.6
5.0
5.1 5.4
5
4.5 4.5
4
3
2
1
0
AL
FL
GA
KY MS
NC
SC
TN
US
Georgia, at 4.5 percent in February, held firm for the second straight month and posted the lowest unemployment rate of all states in the Southeast. With a margin of one-half percentage point, Florida, at 5.0 percent, came in a distant second. For the first time in nearly a year and a half, South Carolina, at 6.6 percent in February, posted the highest rate in the region despite an over-themonth decline.
10
Georgia
Albany MSA
Athens MSA
Atlanta MSA
Augusta-Aiken, GA-SC MSA Columbus, GA-AL MSA Macon MSA
Savannah MSA
Georgia Labor Force Estimates (not seasonally adjusted) Place of Residence - Persons 16 Years and Older
Employment Status
Preliminary FEB 2003
Revised JAN 2003
Revised FEB 2002
Change From
Revised
Revised
JAN 2003
FEB 2002
Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed Rate
4,333,168 4,136,561
196,607 4.5
4,308,843 4,113,650
195,193 4.5
4,244,352 4,031,342
213,010 5.0
24,325 22,911 1,414
88,816 105,219 -16,403
Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate
56,485 53,820
2,665 4.7
56,321 53,706
2,615 4.6
53,830 50,845
2,985 5.5
164
2,655
114
2,975
50
-320
Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate
76,981 74,881
2,100 2.7
76,762 74,625
2,137 2.8
74,645 72,183
2,462 3.3
219
2,336
256
2,698
-37
-362
Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate
2,391,995 2,278,776
113,219 4.7
2,371,800 2,259,297
112,503 4.7
2,362,435 2,241,290
121,145 5.1
20,195 19,479
716
29,560 37,486 -7,926
Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate
210,411 200,410
10,001 4.8
209,241 199,059
10,182 4.9
206,619 195,508
11,111 5.4
1,170 1,351 -181
3,792 4,902 -1,110
Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate
125,935 119,526
6,409 5.1
126,158 119,627
6,531 5.2
126,158 120,094
6,064 4.8
-223 -101 -122
-223 -568 345
Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate
157,044 151,071
5,973 3.8
157,115 151,140
5,975 3.8
152,188 146,303
5,885 3.9
-71
4,856
-69
4,768
-2
88
Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed Rate
145,223 140,122
5,101 3.5
143,291 138,425
4,866 3.4
139,442 134,233
5,209 3.7
1,932 1,697
235
5,781 5,889 -108
United States Labor Force Estimates Place of Residence - Persons 16 Years and Older
Area
Employment Status
FEB 2003
JAN 2003
FEB 2002
Change From
JAN 2003
FEB 2002
United States
(Seasonally adjusted)
Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed Rate
145,857,000 137,408,000
8,450,000 5.8
145,838,000 137,536,000
8,302,000 5.7
144,510,000 136,450,000
8,060,000 5.6
19,000 -128,000 148,000
1,347,000 958,000 390,000
United States
(Not Seasonally adjusted)
Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate
145,693,000 136,433,000
9,260,000 6.4
145,301,000 135,907,000
9,395,000 6.5
144,266,000 135,443,000
8,823,000 6.1
392,000 526,000 -135,000
1,427,000 990,000 437,000
Note: Employment includes nonagricultural wage and salary employment, self-employment, unpaid family and private household workers and agricultural workers.
Persons in labor disputes are counted as employed. The use of unrounded data does not imply that the numbers are exact. Georgia and Metropolitan Statistical Area data have not been seasonally adjusted. Seasonally adjusted data for Georgia available upon request.
Albany MSA: Includes Dougherty and Lee counties Athens MSA: Includes Clarke, Madison, and Oconee counties Atlanta MSA: Includes Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens,
Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton counties Augusta-Aiken MSA: Includes Columbia, McDuffie and Richmond counties in Georgia and Aiken and Edgefield counties in South Carolina Columbus MSA: Includes Chattahoochee, Harris and Muscogee counties in Georgia and Russell County in Alabama Macon MSA: Includes Bibb, Houston, Jones, Peach, and Twiggs counties Savannah MSA: Includes Byran, Chatham, and Effingham counties
Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Information & Analysis
11
GDOL Works to Stimulate Job Growth
Continuing job loss, skyrocketing gas prices and rumors of war have driven consumer confidence in the economy to its lowest level since 1993. And Georgians as well as the rest of the U.S. are feeling the effects of rising unemployment.
"While we are helping workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own by providing them with unemployment benefits and access to training and job search assistance, what they really need are job opportunities," said state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond. "Employers are reluctant to risk adding new employees."
In response to weak job creation and lengthening terms of unemployment, Commissioner Thurmond has created Georgia Works. This innovative training initiative of the Georgia Department of Labor is designed to stimulate near-term job growth and hiring in Georgia. The initiative allows laid-off workers who qualify for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to receive on-site workplace training, regular UI benefits and a special training allowance of up to $30 a week. The stipend will help to defray some of the costs of attending training (e.g., child care, transportation, tools, work clothes, etc.).
Employers will provide training for a limited period. Upon successful completion of training, trainees will receive certifica-
tion of job skills acquired and consideration for employment. The opportunity to train through Georgia Works is limited to a maximum of 24 hours per week for up to eight weeks.
Thurmond is confident that many employers, wary of creating new positions in this economic environment, will be encouraged to do so by participating in Georgia Works. "This initiative reduces risk associated with new hiring, including worker evaluation and training costs. It also allows employers to better match job-seekers with available jobs," said Thurmond.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for Georgia Works participants," said Thurmond. "Not only will this allow them to remain connected to the workplace, it also allows jobseekers to add new skills, training and work experience to their resumes," he added. Georgia Works also allows job-seekers to market their skills to employers, and it provides the possibility of turning training into full-time employment.
A person can become a Georgia Works trainee by going to a Georgia Department of Labor Career Center and enlisting the help of a reemployment Unit DOL Services Specialist. The claimant will receive information about Georgia Works, a schedule of Georgia Works workshop modules and a coupon to be used as a sales and marketing tool to the employers.
Five Career Centers -- Atlanta's, North and South Metro, Cartersville, Athens and Macon will kick off the Georgia Works pilot, and up to 500 claimant trainees will participate. The pilot kicked off on March 10. Eventually all 53 Career Centers will offer the Georgia Works strategy.
Brunswick Career Center, Brunswick, Georgia
12
Georgia Career Centers
Albany ................................229-430-5010 1608 S. Slappey Boulevard, 31701-2632 P.O. Box 3450, 31706-3450
Americus ........................... 229-931-2520 120 W. Church Street, 31709-3508
Athens ...............................706-583-2550 472 North Avenue, 30601 P.O. Box 1032, 30603-1032
Atlanta North Metro .......... 404-679-5200 2943 N. Druid Hills Road,Atlanta, 30329-3909 P.O. Box 29773, 30359-0773
Atlanta South Metro .......... 404-699-6900 2636-14 MLK Jr. Drive, Atlanta, 30311-1635
Augusta ............................. 706-721-3131 601 Greene Street, 30901-1427 P.O. Box 160, 30903-0160
Bainbridge .........................229-248-2618 310 S. Scott Street, 31717-4136 P.O. Drawer 1027, 31718-1027
Blairsville ..........................706-745-6959 189 Rogers Street, 30512 P.O. Box 834, 30514-0834
Blue Ridge .........................706-632-2033 1048 Appalachian Hwy, 30513 P.O. Box 488, 30513-0488
Brunswick .........................912-264-7244 2517 Tara Lane, 31520-2758 P.O. Box 1059, 31521-1059
Cairo .................................. 229-377-6526 101 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., 31728-2605 P.O. Box 685, 31728-0685
Camilla .............................. 229-522-3630 26 South Harney Street, 31730-1705 P.O. Box 311, 31730-0311
Carrollton ..........................770-836-6668 275 Northside Drive, 30117 P.O. Box 509, 30117-0509
Cartersville ....................... 770-387-3760 19 Felton Place, 30120-2148 P.O. Box 200366, 30120-9007
Cedartown ..........................770-749-2213 321 West Avenue, Suite H, 30125-2099 P.O. Box 1019, 30125-1019
Clayton .............................. 678-479-5886 2450 Mt. Zion Pkwy, Bldg. 100, Suite 100 Southwood 75 Office Park, Jonesboro, 30236
Cobb/Cherokee .................. 770-528-6100 465 Big Shanty Road, Marietta, 30066-3303
Columbus ...........................706-649-7423 700 Veterans Parkway, 31901-2933 P.O. Box 390, 31902-0390
Cordele ..............................229-276-2355 1205 S. Seventh Street, 31015-3882 P.O. Box 1136, 31010-1136
Covington ...........................770-784-2455 7249 Industrial Blvd., N.E., 30014-1499 P.O. Box 1189, 30015-1189
Dalton ................................706-272-2301 1406 Chattanooga Avenue, 30720-2630
DeKalb ...............................404-298-3970 3879 Covington Hwy., Decatur, 30032-2640
Douglas ..............................912-389-4254 310 W. Bryan Street 31533-3733 P.O. Box 1560, 31534-1560
Dublin ................................478-275-6525 910 N. Jefferson Street 31021-6308 P.O. Box 1226, 31040-1226
Eastman .............................478-374-6994 5016 Park Way 31023-1610
Elberton .............................706-213-2028 5 Seaboard Street 30635-2332 P.O. Box 956, 30635-0956
Gainesville .........................770-535-5484 2419 Corporate Dr., S.W., 30504-6056
Griffin ................................770-228-7226 1514 Highway 16 West, 30223-2046 P.O. Box 736, 30224-0736
Gwinnett ............................770-840-2200
2211 Beaver Ruin Rd., Suite 160, Norcross, 30071
Habersham ........................706-776-0811 215 Hodges St., Suite 205, Cornelia 30531
Hinesville ...........................912-370-2595 740 General Stewart Way, Suite 202, 31313-3217
Houston County .................478-988-7130 96 Cohen Walker Dr., Warner Robbins 31088
Jesup .................................912-427-5842 263 N. Brunswick Street, 31545-2840 P.O. Box 833, 31598-0833
Kings Bay ..........................912-673-6942 1712 Osborne Rd., Ste L, St. Marys, 31558-3257
LaFayette ...........................706-638-5525 200 West Villanow St., 30728-2432 P.O. Box 947, 30728-0947
LaGrange ...........................706-845-4000 1002 Longley Place, 30240-5733
Macon ................................478-751-6164 3090 Mercer University Drive, 31204-5966 P.O. Box 4428, 31208-4428
Milledgeville ...................... 478-445-5465 156 Roberson Mill Road, 31061-4901 P.O. Box 730, 31059-0730
Monroe ..............................770-207-4111 226 Alcovy Street, Suite B-5, 30655-2184 P.O. Box 924, 30655-0924
Moultrie ............................. 229-891-7147 115 5th Street, S.E., 31768-4834 P.O. Box 2199, 31776-2199
Newnan ..............................770-254-7220 30 Bledsoe Road, 30265-1044
Northwest Georgia ............706-861-1990 Stuart Crossing, 96 Stuart Rd., Ft. Oglethorpe,
30742-3900 P.O. Box 5798, 30742-1198
Rome .................................. 706-295-6051 462 Riverside Parkway, N.E., 30161-2942 P.O. Box 5107, 30162-5107
Savannah ........................... 912-356-2773 5520 White Bluff Road, 31405-6908 P.O. Box 22069, 31403-2069
Statesboro ..........................912-681-5156 62 Packinghouse Road, 30458-4116 P.O. Box 558, 30459-0558
Sylvester (Albany) ............229-777-2120 204 E. Franklin Street Room 11 & 12, 31791-2183
Thomasville ....................... 229-225-4033 2551 East Pinetree Boulevard, 31728 P.O. Box 1340, 31799-1340
Thomson ............................ 706-595-3665 232 Main Street 30824-1991
Tifton ................................. 229-386-3322 310 South Tift Avenue, 31794 P.O. Box 67, 31793-0067
Toccoa ................................706-282-4514 112 N. Alexander Street, 30577-2372 P.O. Box 520, 30577-0520
Valdosta ............................. 229-333-5211 2808 N. Oak Street, 31602-1716 P.O. Box 1008, 31603-1008
Vidalia ...............................912-538-3231 16 Carter Center, Queen Street, 30474 P.O. Box 1106, 30474-1106
Waycross ........................... 912-285-6105 600 Plant Avenue, 31501-3511 P.O. Box 1609, 31502-1609
13
Georgia Labor Force Estimates by County (not seasonally adjusted)
Georgia
Appling Atkinson Bacon Baker Baldwin
Place of Residence - Persons 16 Years and Older
Preliminary February 2003
Revised January 2003
Labor Force
Employment
Unemployment Number Rate
Labor Force
Employment
Unemployment Number Rate
4,333,168 4,136,561 196,607 4.5
7,662 3,032 3,738 1,783 18,211
7,131 2,774 3,513 1,704 17,521
531 6.9 258 8.5 225 6.0
79 4.4 690 3.8
4,308,843 4,113,650 195,193 4.5
7,783 3,052 3,761 1,791 18,187
7,133 2,783 3,517 1,706 17,482
650 8.4 269 8.8 244 6.5
85 4.7 705 3.9
Banks Barrow Bartow Ben Hill Berrien
7,305 7,026
279 3.8
24,216 23,078 1,138 4.7
41,816 39,573 2,243 5.4
8,927 8,367
560 6.3
6,350
6,117
233 3.7
7,334 7,031
303 4.1
24,099 22,881 1,218 5.1
41,538 39,235 2,303 5.5
8,793 8,374
419 4.8
6,354 6,130
224 3.5
Bibb Bleckley Brantley Brooks Bryan
73,140 70,005 3,135 4.3
5,882 5,669
213 3.6
7,256 6,839
417 5.7
7,580 7,333
247 3.3
11,740 11,389
351 3.0
73,151 70,037 3,114 4.3
5,913 5,667
246 4.2
7,245
6,827
418 5.8
7,602
7,327
275 3.6
11,568 11,251
317 2.7
Bulloch Burke Butts Calhoun Camden
27,875 27,156
719 2.6
9,284 8,580
704 7.6
9,466 9,062
404 4.3
2,367 2,199
168 7.1
18,268 17,006 1,262 6.9
27,829 27,130
699 2.5
9,312 8,579
733 7.9
9,465
9,046
419 4.4
2,390 2,210
180 7.5
18,286 16,977 1,309 7.2
Candler Carroll Catoosa Charlton Chatham
4,055 3,910
145 3.6
47,186 44,458 2,728 5.8
28,772 28,028
744 2.6
4,719 4,476
243 5.1
113,497 109,446 4,051 3.6
4,055 3,917
138 3.4
46,472 44,078 2,394 5.2
28,772 28,108
664 2.3
4,695 4,469
226 4.8
112,021 108,120 3,901 3.5
Chattahoochee 2,190 2,024
166 7.6
Chattooga
11,220 10,884
336 3.0
Cherokee
85,655 82,187 3,468 4.0
Clarke
49,296 47,912 1,384 2.8
Clay
1,808 1,750
58 3.2
2,199 2,027
172 7.8
11,169 10,865
304 2.7
84,645 81,484 3,161 3.7
49,153 47,748 1,405 2.9
1,813 1,755
58 3.2
Clayton Clinch Cobb Coffee Colquitt
140,688 132,675 8,013 5.7
2,823 2,718
105 3.7
376,364 360,685 15,679 4.2
20,985 19,832 1,153 5.5
19,059 17,938 1,121 5.9
139,346 131,541 7,805 5.6
2,820 2,720
100 3.5
372,536 357,602 14,934 4.0
21,013 19,845 1,168 5.6
19,055 17,969 1,086 5.7
Columbia Cook Coweta Crawford Crisp
43,909 42,661 1,248 2.8
7,926 7,532
394 5.0
47,386 45,462 1,924 4.1
5,966 5,750
216 3.6
9,178 8,697
481 5.2
43,651 42,459 1,192 2.7
7,838 7,538
300 3.8
46,902 45,073 1,829 3.9
5,972 5,746
226 3.8
9,177
8,714
463 5.0
Revised February 2002
Labor Force
Employment
Unemployment Number Rate
4,244,352 4,031,342 213,010 5.0
7,676 2,830 3,868 1,479 17,944
6,904 2,592 3,587 1,390 17,378
772 10.1 238 8.4 281 7.3
89 6.0 566 3.2
6,887 24,094 41,703
8,325 6,236
6,597 22,699 38,922
7,917 5,905
290 4.2 1,395 5.8 2,781 6.7
408 4.9 331 5.3
70,852 5,622 7,156 7,397 11,245
67,796 5,395 6,814 7,110
10,910
3,056 4.3 227 4.0 342 4.8 287 3.9 335 3.0
27,647 9,143 9,393 2,242
16,622
26,688 8,348 8,907 2,082
16,037
959 3.5 795 8.7 486 5.2 160 7.1 585 3.5
3,717 46,270 28,604
4,386 109,120
3,563 43,726 27,826
4,221 104,846
154 4.1 2,544 5.5
778 2.7 165 3.8 4,274 3.9
2,188 11,129 84,157 47,744 1,520
2,033 10,762 80,835 46,185
1,444
155 7.1 367 3.3 3,322 3.9 1,559 3.3
76 5.0
138,358 130,493 7,865 5.7
2,784 2,670
114 4.1
371,557 354,752 16,805 4.5
20,063 19,078
985 4.9
17,866 16,867
999 5.6
43,365 7,634
46,823 6,095 8,787
41,935 7,284
44,714 5,788 8,175
1,430 3.3 350 4.6
2,109 4.5 307 5.0 612 7.0
14
Georgia Labor Force Estimates by County (not seasonally adjusted)
Dade Dawson Decatur DeKalb Dodge
Place of Residence - Persons 16 Years and Older
Preliminary February 2003
Labor Force
Employment
Unemployment Number Rate
Revised January 2003
Labor Force
Employment
Unemployment Number Rate
7,696 7,387
309 4.0
10,756 10,396
360 3.3
11,343 10,673
670 5.9
389,358 368,811 20,547 5.3
10,387 9,933
454 4.4
7,712 7,408
304 3.9
10,691 10,325
366 3.4
11,312 10,682
630 5.6
387,277 365,658 21,619 5.6
10,363 9,896
467 4.5
Dooly Dougherty Douglas Early Echols
4,541 4,258
283 6.2
43,271 40,986 2,285 5.3
53,548 51,034 2,514 4.7
5,008 4,614
394 7.9
1,807 1,747
60 3.3
4,531 4,266
265 5.8
43,144 40,899 2,245 5.2
52,873 50,597 2,276 4.3
4,999 4,629
370 7.4
1,790 1,746
44 2.5
Effingham Elbert Emanuel Evans Fannin
19,986 9,812 8,413 5,334
10,383
19,287 9,184 7,974 5,163 9,705
699 3.5 628 6.4 439 5.2 171 3.2 678 6.5
19,703 9,843 8,406 5,326
10,413
19,054 9,185 7,974 5,168 9,702
649 3.3 658 6.7 432 5.1 158 3.0 711 6.8
Fayette Floyd Forsyth Franklin Fulton
50,596 49,232 1,364 2.7
46,989 45,078 1,911 4.1
61,104 58,793 2,311 3.8
11,203 10,762
441 3.9
430,398 407,006 23,392 5.4
50,104 48,811 1,293 2.6
46,905 44,978 1,927 4.1
60,647 58,291 2,356 3.9
11,338 10,763
575 5.1
426,627 403,527 23,100 5.4
Gilmer Glascock Glynn Gordon Grady
9,683 9,194
489 5.1
1,034
979
55 5.3
37,438 36,167 1,271 3.4
22,341 21,275 1,066 4.8
9,785 9,370
415 4.2
9,675 9,200
475 4.9
1,032
977
55 5.3
37,393 36,122 1,271 3.4
22,334 21,251 1,083 4.8
9,796 9,398
398 4.1
Greene
5,716 5,249
467 8.2
Gwinnett
377,153 361,773 15,380 4.1
Habersham 16,487 15,894
593 3.6
Hall
79,549 76,822 2,727 3.4
Hancock
3,743 3,428
315 8.4
5,709 5,251
458 8.0
375,011 358,680 16,331 4.4
16,499 15,895
604 3.7
79,190 76,473 2,717 3.4
3,735 3,423
312 8.4
Haralson Harris Hart Heard Henry
10,422 9,845
577 5.5
13,001 12,600
401 3.1
9,576 9,056
520 5.4
5,279 5,027
252 4.8
71,685 68,782 2,903 4.0
10,342 9,833
509 4.9
12,984 12,621
363 2.8
9,528 9,055
473 5.0
5,259 5,004
255 4.8
71,081 68,194 2,887 4.1
Houston Irwin Jackson Jasper Jeff Davis
55,694 53,970 1,724 3.1
5,246 4,947
299 5.7
24,217 23,272
945 3.9
5,207 4,911
296 5.7
5,444 4,992
452 8.3
55,755 53,994 1,761 3.2
5,231 4,951
280 5.4
24,199 23,265
934 3.9
5,182 4,907
275 5.3
5,503 4,994
509 9.2
Revised February 2002
Labor Force
Employment
Unemployment Number Rate
7,633 7,334
299 3.9
10,133 9,686
447 4.4
10,733 9,983
750 7.0
386,092 362,744 23,348 6.0
9,722 9,400
322 3.3
4,236 41,318 52,473
4,586 1,757
4,002 38,720 50,194
4,288 1,694
234 5.5 2,598 6.3 2,279 4.3
298 6.5 63 3.6
19,077 9,347 8,059 5,167 9,595
18,477 8,742 7,517 4,923 9,232
600 3.1 605 6.5 542 6.7 244 4.7 363 3.8
49,926 48,422 1,504 3.0
46,692 44,589 2,103 4.5
60,179 57,826 2,353 3.9
10,559 9,963
596 5.6
425,766 400,311 25,455 6.0
8,956 1,052 35,797 21,431 8,891
8,507 963
34,637 20,136
8,496
449 5.0 89 8.5
1,160 3.2 1,295 6.0
395 4.4
5,506 373,354
15,814 76,134
3,704
4,650 355,822
15,183 73,288
3,322
856 15.5 17,532 4.7
631 4.0 2,846 3.7
382 10.3
10,116 13,139
9,482 5,184 70,212
9,444 12,661
8,738 4,931 67,651
672 6.6 478 3.6 744 7.8 253 4.9 2,561 3.6
53,876 4,919
23,293 4,971 5,236
52,266 4,681
21,975 4,742 4,639
1,610 3.0 238 4.8
1,318 5.7 229 4.6 597 11.4
15
Georgia Labor Force Estimates by County (not seasonally adjusted)
Jefferson Jenkins Johnson Jones Lamar
Place of Residence - Persons 16 Years and Older
Preliminary February 2003
Revised January 2003
Labor Force
Employment
Unemployment Number Rate
Labor Force
Employment
Unemployment Number Rate
7,161 4,026 3,049 12,681 6,591
6,515 3,842 2,774 12,317 6,168
646 9.0 184 4.6 275 9.0 364 2.9 423 6.4
7,104 4,013 3,016 12,647 6,551
6,514 3,836 2,776 12,323 6,144
590 8.3 177 4.4 240 8.0 324 2.6 407 6.2
Lanier Laurens Lee Liberty Lincoln
3,546 23,171 13,214 19,360
2,630
3,443 22,050 12,834 18,306
2,365
103 2.9 1,121 4.8
380 2.9 1,054 5.4
265 10.1
3,562
3,440
122 3.4
23,173 22,030 1,143 4.9
13,177 12,807
370 2.8
19,357 18,263 1,094 5.7
2,587
2,364
223 8.6
Long Lowndes Lumpkin McDuffie McIntosh
5,053 4,858
195 3.9
45,118 43,800 1,318 2.9
11,157 10,827
330 3.0
9,402 8,765
637 6.8
5,114 4,881
233 4.6
5,019 4,847
172 3.4
45,139 43,765 1,374 3.0
11,100 10,779
321 2.9
9,504
8,723
781 8.2
5,110
4,876
234 4.6
Macon Madison Marion Meriwether Miller
5,186 13,507
2,819 9,016 3,330
4,855 13,049
2,664 8,496 3,125
331 6.4 458 3.4 155 5.5 520 5.8 205 6.2
5,183 13,440
2,812 8,993 3,328
4,868 13,005
2,666 8,460 3,134
315 6.1 435 3.2 146 5.2 533 5.9 194 5.8
Mitchell Monroe Montgomery Morgan Murray
12,035 8,102 3,694 8,113
19,920
11,521 7,713 3,405 7,767 19,159
514 4.3 389 4.8 289 7.8 346 4.3 761 3.8
12,014 8,114 3,677 8,131
19,787
11,538 7,679 3,405 7,775 19,066
476 4.0 435 5.4 272 7.4 356 4.4 721 3.6
Muscogee Newton Oconee Oglethorpe Paulding
85,374 81,726 3,648 4.3
33,519 31,507 2,012 6.0
14,178 13,920
258 1.8
6,584 6,363
221 3.4
47,115 45,155 1,960 4.2
85,631 81,861 3,770 4.4
33,168 31,237 1,931 5.8
14,171 13,873
298 2.1
6,582
6,361
221 3.4
46,576 44,769 1,807 3.9
Peach Pickens Pierce Pike Polk
11,047 12,776
7,784 7,871 18,740
10,544 12,142
7,498 7,501 17,897
503 4.6 634 5.0 286 3.7 370 4.7 843 4.5
11,050 12,566
7,814 7,802 18,655
10,549 12,038
7,508 7,467 17,810
501 4.5 528 4.2 306 3.9 335 4.3 845 4.5
Pulaski Putnam Quitman Rabun Randolph
4,188 10,580
1,353 7,798 3,152
4,017 10,233
1,313 7,585 2,919
171 4.1 347 3.3
40 3.0 213 2.7 233 7.4
4,161 10,536
1,354 7,804 3,148
4,007 10,195
1,314 7,590 2,928
154 3.7 341 3.2
40 3.0 214 2.7 220 7.0
Revised February 2002
Labor Force
Employment
Unemployment Number Rate
6,997 4,094 2,972 12,361 6,718
6,297 3,666 2,706 11,928 6,143
700 10.0 428 10.5 266 9.0 433 3.5 575 8.6
3,461 22,702 12,512 18,621
2,575
3,338 21,636 12,125 17,626
2,264
123 3.6 1,066 4.7
387 3.1 995 5.3 311 12.1
4,853 43,988 11,044
9,274 4,859
4,677 42,471 10,675
8,616 4,682
176 3.6 1,517 3.4
369 3.3 658 7.1 177 3.6
5,020 13,167
2,907 8,976 3,030
4,603 12,579
2,756 8,306 2,885
417 8.3 588 4.5 151 5.2 670 7.5 145 4.8
11,265 7,887 3,609 7,672 19,482
10,675 7,375 3,274 7,290
18,527
590 5.2 512 6.5 335 9.3 382 5.0 955 4.9
86,083 32,649 13,735
6,610 46,188
82,121 30,988 13,419
6,357 44,412
3,962 4.6 1,661 5.1
316 2.3 253 3.8 1,776 3.8
10,693 12,453
7,436 7,398 18,296
10,211 11,942 7,123 7,018 17,056
482 4.5 511 4.1 313 4.2 380 5.1 1,240 6.8
4,070 9,918 1,314 7,334 3,037
3,815 9,484 1,234 7,090 2,752
255 6.3 434 4.4
80 6.1 244 3.3 285 9.4
16
Georgia Labor Force Estimates by County (not seasonally adjusted)
Richmond Rockdale Schley Screven Seminole
Place of Residence - Persons 16 Years and Older
Preliminary February 2003
Revised January 2003
Labor Force
Employment
Unemployment Number Rate
Labor Force
Employment
Unemployment Number Rate
81,698 77,530 4,168 5.1
39,979 38,126 1,853 4.6
1,767 1,685
82 4.6
5,468 5,208
260 4.8
4,625 4,420
205 4.4
81,275 77,163 4,112 5.1
39,545 37,800 1,745 4.4
1,759 1,679
80 4.5
5,491 5,218
273 5.0
4,616 4,435
181 3.9
Spalding Stephens Stewart Sumter Talbot
29,283 27,403 1,880 6.4
12,563 11,918
645 5.1
2,269 2,143
126 5.6
14,570 13,740
830 5.7
3,054 2,946
108 3.5
28,705 27,169 1,536 5.4
12,642 11,901
741 5.9
2,275 2,146
129 5.7
14,578 13,741
837 5.7
3,056 2,935
121 4.0
Taliaferro Tattnall Taylor Telfair Terrell
820 6,996 3,702 3,874 3,994
754 6,654 3,568 3,552 3,679
66 8.0 342 4.9 134 3.6 322 8.3 315 7.9
836 7,031 3,696 3,912 3,992
756 6,678 3,572 3,558 3,688
80 9.6 353 5.0 124 3.4 354 9.0 304 7.6
Thomas Tift Toombs Towns Treutlen
23,138 21,025 11,322
4,703 2,867
22,277 20,229 10,555
4,564 2,699
861 3.7 796 3.8 767 6.8 139 3.0 168 5.9
23,077 20,955 11,367
4,733 2,848
22,278 20,244 10,557
4,569 2,699
799 3.5 711 3.4 810 7.1 164 3.5 149 5.2
Troup Turner Twiggs Union Upson
31,409 29,799 1,610 5.1
4,580 4,238
342 7.5
4,483 4,235
248 5.5
9,027 8,697
330 3.7
10,806 10,063
743 6.9
31,297 29,747 1,550 5.0
4,556 4,255
301 6.6
4,512 4,237
275 6.1
9,028 8,715
313 3.5
10,689 10,051
638 6.0
Walker Walton Ware Warren Washington
31,272 32,170 15,478
2,519 9,443
30,166 30,895 14,753
2,220 8,986
1,106 3.5 1,275 4.0
725 4.7 299 11.9 457 4.8
31,289 32,080 15,448
2,539 9,443
30,253 30,630 14,741
2,216 8,977
1,036 3.3 1,450 4.5
707 4.6 323 12.7 466 4.9
Wayne Webster Wheeler White Whitfield
11,522 11,079
443 3.8
1,130 1,090
40 3.5
1,949 1,841
108 5.5
9,882 9,556
326 3.3
49,499 48,021 1,478 3.0
11,572 11,071
501 4.3
1,138 1,093
45 4.0
1,951 1,844
107 5.5
9,877 9,564
313 3.2
49,287 47,920 1,367 2.8
Wilcox Wilkes Wilkinson Worth
3,482 5,055 4,268 9,203
3,304 4,713 4,053 8,741
178 5.1 342 6.8 215 5.0 462 5.0
3,505 5,030 4,269 9,184
3,310 4,695 4,042 8,758
195 5.6 335 6.7 227 5.3 426 4.6
Revised February 2002
Labor Force
Employment
Unemployment Number Rate
80,867 39,286
1,755 5,228 4,496
76,211 37,499
1,660 4,856 4,248
4,656 5.8 1,787 4.5
95 5.4 372 7.1 248 5.5
28,889 12,303
2,079 14,291
2,835
26,952 11,551 1,962 13,184 2,667
1,937 6.7 752 6.1 117 5.6
1,107 7.7 168 5.9
815 6,517 3,611 3,886 3,878
713 6,117 3,386 3,422 3,472
102 12.5 400 6.1 225 6.2 464 11.9 406 10.5
22,029 19,926 11,110
4,345 2,775
21,128 19,122 10,149
4,228 2,595
901 4.1 804 4.0 961 8.6 117 2.7 180 6.5
30,617 4,219 4,405 8,541 11,485
28,841 3,787 4,101 8,258 9,689
1,776 5.8 432 10.2 304 6.9 283 3.3
1,796 15.6
31,187 32,005 14,947
2,385 9,150
29,949 30,386 14,193
2,072 8,720
1,238 4.0 1,619 5.1
754 5.0 313 13.1 430 4.7
11,016 1,034 1,913 9,342 47,954
10,504 982
1,774 8,947 46,037
512 4.6 52 5.0
139 7.3 395 4.2 1,917 4.0
3,291 5,012 4,293 8,731
3,106 4,565 4,066 8,145
185 5.6 447 8.9 227 5.3 586 6.7
17
New Developments
Coachmen Industries is expanding its manufac-
turing operations in Fitzgerald. The company plans to purchase the former Irwin Manufacturing building, which is located at 200 Ed Ward Road approximately one mile from Coachmen's existing plant. Founded in 1964, Coachmen Industries is one of the nation's leading producers of recreational vehicles. The new 100,000-square-foot facility will nearly triple the company's production space and will be used to manufacture four additional travel trailers and fifth wheel models Captiva, Chaparral, Somerset, Dream Catcher and Shasta Capri. Coachmen's current plant on Benjamin Hill Drive will continue to operate as a manufacturing facility where the Cascade, Spirit of America, LT Series and Catalina models of recreational vehicles are produced. Production in the new facility is expected to begin in July creating about 175 jobs in Ben Hill County.
Flexsteel, the local furniture manufacturer in
Dublin, recently announced plans to expand its operations there. The expansion, which will increase the company's manufacturing and shipping capability, is expected to add about 56,000 square feet. Based in the Midwest, Flexsteel opened in Dublin in 1983 and along with the upcoming changes will be the company's fourth expansion since its inception there. Flexsteel currently employs about 398 people in the Dublin area. The expansion project is expected to be completed within six months and will add 40 to 50 new jobs by the end of the year in Laurens County.
Advance Storage Products recently held a
groundbreaking ceremony for its new location in Cedartown. The company's new site is located at 275 North Park Boulevard in the Cedartown North Business Park. Headquartered in Huntington Beach, Calif., Advance has been a leading designer and producer of material handling and storage products. It is the leading supplier of Lo-Pro Pushback systems and offers state-of-the-art engineering and specialized fabrication solutions to meet the
customer's unique needs. The investment, which includes a 103,000-square foot building, represents about $2.8 million. Production is expected to begin in June and will create about 60 new jobs in Polk County.
Representing a $10 million project, Neaton-Rome
recently announced that it would undergo an expansion at its Rome facility to meet the needs for several new lines of business. The expansion will allow the automotive supplier, which makes steering wheels for the Nissan Maxima and the Honda Odyssey, to begin making new lines of components for auto plants in Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee. Neaton-Rome currently ships nearly 1,300 Nissan steering wheels to the Tennessee plant daily and more than 600 steering wheels to the plant in Alabama. Company officials said the project would include a $3.7 million addition to the company's existing plant and $6.3 million for new equipment. Construction on the addition to the company's existing 60,000-square-foot facility is expected to begin in May and production on the new lines by early 2004. Neaton-Rome is expected to add about 85 workers to meet its increased production needs bringing the total employment at the plant in Floyd County to 150.
Blue Bird Corporation, the Fort Valley-based
bus manufacturer, was offered $17 million in incentives by the state of Georgia to expand its manufacturing facility in Fort Valley. In addition to state incentives, the arrangement also includes about $3 million in federal incentives and free port exemptions from the county and the city of Fort Valley. The expansion, which is expected to be phased in through 2006, will allow the company to produce a school bus chassis and new lines of commercial buses at its plant on Georgia Highway 49. Blue Bird currently employs about 1,700 people at its two plants in Fort Valley and is expected to add an additional 630 workers once the expansion is complete in Peach County.
18
Georgia Unemployment Rates by County
February 2003
Dade Catoosa
Whitfield
Walker
Murray
Chattooga
Gordon
Floyd
Bartow
Fannin
Towns
Union
Rabun
Gilmer Pickens Cherokee
White Haber-
Lumpkin
sham Stephens
Dawson Forsyth
Banks Franklin Hall
Jackson Madison
Hart Elbert
10% or greater 4.5% to 9.9% Less than 4.5%
Polk Haralson
Paulding Cobb Douglas
Gwinnett Barrow Clarke
Oconee Oglethorpe
DeKalb
Walton
Rock-
Wilkes
Lincoln
Carroll
Fulton Clayton
dale Newton
Morgan Greene Taliaferro
Columbia
Heard
Fayette Henry
Coweta
Spalding Butts Jasper
Putnam
Hancock
McDuffie Warren
Glascock
Richmond
Troup Meriwether Pike Lamar Monroe Jones Baldwin
Jefferson Washington
Burke
Upson
Harris
Talbot
Bibb
Wilkinson
Crawford
Twiggs
Johnson
Jenkins Emanuel
Screven
Muscogee
Taylor
Peach
Marion Chattahoo-
Macon
Houston Bleckley
Laurens
Treutlen
Candler Bulloch Effingham
chee
Schley
Stewart Webster Sumter
Dooly
Pulaski Dodge Wilcox
Montgomery Wheeler Toombs
Evans
Tattnall
Bryan Chatham
Crisp
Telfair
Quitman Randolph Terrell Lee
Turner
Ben Hill
Jeff Davis Appling
Liberty Long
Clay Calhoun Dougherty Worth
Irwin Tift
Coffee
Early Miller
Baker Mitchell
Colquitt
Berrien Atkinson
Cook
Lanier
Seminole Decatur
Grady Thomas Brooks
Lowndes
Clinch
Echols
Bacon
Wayne
Pierce
Ware
Brantley
McIntosh Glynn
Charlton
Camden
Georgia's Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
19
Georgia Unemployment Insurance Claims by County
County
February Average Initial Weekly Average
Claims Benefit Duration
Appling
89 ...... $207 ..... 10.8
Atkinson
119 ...... $179 ....... 7.6
Bacon
93 ...... $211 ....... 8.5
Baker
13 ...... $147 ..... 11.3
Baldwin
193 ...... $178 ....... 9.4
Banks
77 ...... $216 ....... 9.9
Barrow
318 ...... $210 ..... 14.1
Bartow
445 ...... $222 ..... 10.8
Ben Hill
197 ...... $188 ....... 7.4
Berrien
50 ...... $184 ....... 9.6
Bibb
647 ...... $164 ..... 13.3
Bleckley
129 ...... $185 ....... 9.2
Brantley
85 ...... $217 ..... 13.8
Brooks
50 ...... $167 ..... 13.0
Bryan
67 ...... $230 ..... 13.7
Bulloch
185 ...... $192 ..... 12.6
Burke
171 ...... $169 ....... 9.5
Butts
81 ...... $219 ..... 13.4
Calhoun
22 ...... $157 ....... 9.5
Camden
101 ...... $230 ..... 13.0
Candler
42 ...... $191 ..... 12.1
Carroll
576 ...... $205 ..... 12.6
Catoosa
195 ...... $216 ....... 7.9
Charlton
30 ...... $211 ..... 11.9
Chatham
650 ...... $194 ..... 15.1
Chattahoochee 12 ...... $189 ..... 14.0
Chattooga
66 ...... $203 ..... 13.5
Cherokee
649 ...... $246 ..... 14.4
Clarke
286 ...... $181 ..... 14.3
Clay
25 ...... $194 ....... 8.4
Clayton
1,349 ...... $229 ..... 15.6
Clinch
22 ...... $170 ..... 10.8
Cobb
2,045 ...... $244 ..... 16.9
Coffee
457 ...... $204 ....... 8.6
Colquitt
239 ...... $196 ..... 11.1
Columbia
188 ...... $218 ..... 14.0
Cook
94 ...... $198 ....... 8.9
Coweta
352 ...... $228 ..... 13.0
Crawford
29 ...... $201 ..... 12.3
Crisp
177 ...... $153 ..... 10.3
Dade
23 ...... $201 ....... 6.9
Dawson
48 ...... $235 ..... 14.3
Decatur
145 ...... $173 ....... 9.7
DeKalb
2,968 ...... $234 ..... 16.3
Dodge
103 ...... $176 ..... 11.0
Dooly
86 ...... $165 ....... 9.5
Dougherty
390 ...... $170 ..... 13.4
Douglas
406 ...... $238 ..... 15.6
Early
60 ...... $136 ..... 10.9
Echols
17 ...... $215 ..... 11.2
Effingham
124 ...... $220 ..... 13.8
Elbert
369 ...... $184 ....... 7.0
Emanuel
74 ...... $182 ....... 9.1
County
February Average Initial Weekly Average
Claims Benefit Duration
Evans Fannin Fayette Floyd Forsyth Franklin Fulton Gilmer Glascock Glynn Gordon Grady Greene Gwinnett Habersham Hall Hancock Haralson Harris Hart Heard Henry Houston Irwin Jackson Jasper Jeff Davis Jefferson Jenkins Johnson Jones Lamar Lanier Laurens Lee Liberty Lincoln Long Lowndes Lumpkin McDuffie McIntosh Macon Madison Marion Meriwether Miller Mitchell Monroe Morgan Montgomery Murray Muscogee
43 ...... $163 ..... 12.1 125 ...... $198 ..... 11.4 206 ...... $249 ..... 15.2 943 ...... $208 ....... 8.9 254 ...... $259 ..... 16.6 340 ...... $210 ....... 8.0 3,270 ...... $228 ..... 16.6 140 ...... $216 ....... 8.4
12 ...... $187 ..... 10.2 276 ...... $193 ..... 13.4 609 ...... $209 ....... 6.7
87 ...... $180 ....... 8.5 135 ...... $147 ..... 15.7 2,291 ...... $249 ..... 16.0 210 ...... $204 ....... 8.1 700 ...... $221 ..... 10.6
89 ...... $150 ..... 10.2 134 ...... $200 ..... 12.0 158 ...... $218 ..... 10.0 342 ...... $193 ....... 7.8
74 ...... $223 ..... 10.3 461 ...... $241 ..... 14.6 283 ...... $200 ..... 12.6
90 ...... $179 ....... 9.9 192 ...... $224 ..... 12.0
77 ...... $214 ..... 10.3 113 ...... $194 ..... 10.4 97 ...... $181 ..... 10.9 46 ...... $190 ....... 9.1 66 ...... $143 ..... 10.2 75 ...... $204 ..... 12.5 121 ...... $190 ..... 10.9 21 ...... $186 ..... 10.9 362 ...... $166 ....... 9.1 222 ...... $232 ....... 8.8 106 ...... $186 ..... 13.7 51 ...... $185 ....... 9.0 22 ...... $189 ..... 13.5 298 ...... $172 ..... 10.3 65 ...... $217 ....... 7.2 95 ...... $170 ....... 9.6 132 ...... $216 ..... 10.8 48 ...... $202 ....... 9.3 169 ...... $183 ..... 12.1 33 ...... $211 ..... 14.8 197 ...... $187 ..... 10.0 32 ...... $152 ....... 8.9 149 ...... $151 ..... 12.9 93 ...... $202 ..... 11.3 51 ...... $173 ..... 12.0 103 ...... $178 ..... 10.8 394 ...... $220 ....... 5.8 1,166 ...... $199 ..... 11.5
Initial claims include intrastate initial and additional claims, as well as agent state initial and additional claims for regular UI only. Average duration of benefits is represented in weeks.
20
County
February Average Initial Weekly Average
Claims Benefit Duration
Newton Oconee Oglethorpe Paulding Peach Pickens Pierce Pike Polk Pulaski Putnam Quitman Rabun Randolph Richmond Rockdale Schley Screven Seminole Spalding Stephens Stewart Sumter Talbot Taliaferro Tattnall Taylor Telfair Terrell Thomas Tift Toombs Towns Treutlen Troup Turner Twiggs Union Upson Walker Walton Ware Warren Washington Wayne Webster Wheeler White Whitfield Wilcox Wilkes Wilkinson Worth
413 ...... $220 ..... 13.0 60 ...... $217 ..... 13.3 35 ...... $186 ..... 11.8
312 ...... $241 ..... 14.7 88 ...... $176 ..... 11.0
184 ...... $226 ..... 11.7 61 ...... $193 ..... 11.3
100 ...... $204 ..... 11.3 277 ...... $213 ....... 9.3
52 ...... $193 ..... 10.9 143 ...... $178 ....... 7.8
3 ...... $123 ..... 13.9 47 ...... $200 ....... 6.1 92 ...... $177 ..... 10.2 644 ...... $186 ..... 13.9 282 ...... $225 ..... 14.8 19 ...... $190 ....... 9.2 61 ...... $183 ..... 10.1 49 ...... $178 ..... 10.6 435 ...... $203 ..... 12.3 350 ...... $202 ....... 8.2 43 ...... $149 ..... 10.0 205 ...... $142 ..... 11.8 86 ...... $192 ....... 7.9
9 ...... $161 ..... 13.9 62 ...... $183 ..... 12.4 35 ...... $181 ....... 9.0 78 ...... $180 ..... 10.8 56 ...... $158 ..... 13.1 186 ...... $188 ..... 10.0 194 ...... $173 ....... 9.6 98 ...... $188 ..... 11.8 40 ...... $189 ..... 10.5 37 ...... $168 ..... 11.6 628 ...... $212 ..... 10.2 169 ...... $142 ....... 9.9 75 ...... $170 ..... 13.0 106 ...... $204 ..... 12.2 225 ...... $190 ..... 12.8 286 ...... $194 ....... 7.7 346 ...... $221 ..... 13.0 224 ...... $171 ..... 10.6 85 ...... $171 ..... 10.8 96 ...... $158 ..... 11.3 86 ...... $203 ..... 10.5 15 ...... $126 ....... 9.6 17 ...... $174 ..... 10.7 85 ...... $205 ....... 9.7 797 ...... $218 ....... 6.0 77 ...... $167 ....... 9.4 87 ...... $173 ....... 9.7 50 ...... $178 ..... 11.6 119 ...... $176 ..... 10.8
Unemployment Insurance Statistics
800,000 700,000 600,000 500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000
0
359,339 1998
Initial claims
1998 -- 2002
649,033
578,475
373,539 395,401
1999
2000
2001
2002
140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000
0
Benefit exhaustions
1998 -- 2002
47,404
45,919
42,699
72,221
1998
1999
2000
2001
119,553 2002
Long-term unemployment continues to be a concern in Georgia
During February, 43,328 separated workers in Georgia filed an initial claim for unemployment insurance benefits, up 1.3 percent from last February's total of 42,764. This month's figure was down considerably (48.2%) when compared to January's seasonally influenced total of 83,645. Historically, new claims totals rise substantially during the month of January due to layoffs of part-time and temporary workers hired during the holiday season.
The Atlanta metropolitan area accounted for 17,787 new claims during February, a decline of 10.0 percent over the year. The Augusta and Athens MSA's also experienced overthe-year drops of 27.9 percent and 11.1 percent, respectively. Albany (40.9%), Columbus (22.6%), Macon (11.9%) and Savannah (6.6%) all saw initial claims totals rise when compared with the same month one year ago.
A look at initial claims activity over the past three calendar years reveals that there were 395,401 new claims filed in 2000. The number increased significantly as the economy began to show signs of sputtering. During 2001, with March 2001 marked as the beginning of the current recession, initial claims totaled 649,033, a jump of 64.1 percent over the previous calendar year. New claims activity lessened last year, as the count of newly unemployed persons fell, with 578,475 initial claims filed during 2002, down 10.9 percent from 2001.
While it is a positive sign for Georgia's economy that the measure of newly unemployed workers declined during 2002, long-term unemployment continues to be a concern as benefit exhaustions and the average duration of benefits have increased considerably over the previous three years.
Benefit exhaustions have risen steadily since 2000, when 42,699 final payments were made to those beneficiaries who exhausted their benefits. During 2001, that figure grew to 72,221, an increase of 29,522 (69.1%). In 2002, benefit exhaustions climbed 47,312 (65.5%) to a total of 119,533, second only to 1975, when 140,645 final payments went to benefit exhaustees.
The average duration of benefits has gradually increased since the middle of 2001. From May 2001 through January 2002, the duration grew from 8.5 weeks to 12.9 weeks, a surge of 51.8 percent and a growth of 4.4 weeks. In November, the duration reached 13.1 weeks, the highest average since April 1976, when the duration hit 13.5 weeks.
During the month, benefit exhaustions fell slightly when compared to February 2002, from 8,344 to 8,268. The average duration of benefits dropped from 12.9 weeks to 12.6 weeks over the month, while climbing 13.5 percent from last February's duration of 11.1 weeks. Extended benefit claims fell slightly over the month, dropping from last month's figure of 7,626 to February's total of 7,416.
Statistical Trends
February 2003
February 2002
Net Change
Percent Change
Initial Claims .............................................................. 43,328 ................................ 42,764 ....................................... 564 ................................. 1.3%
Continued Weeks Claimed ..................................... 295,988 .............................. 325,477 ................................. -29,489 ............................... -9.1%
Beneficiaries ........................................................... 85,832 ................................ 91,454 ................................... -5,622 ............................... -6.1%
Benefits Paid .................................................. $62,543,024 ....................... $66,377,789 .......................... -$3,834,765 ............................... -5.8%
Weeks Paid ............................................................ 262,929 .............................. 285,884 ................................. -22,955 ............................... -8.0%
First Payments ......................................................... 24,941 ................................ 19,383 .................................... 5,558 ............................... 28.7%
Final Payments .......................................................... 8,268 .................................. 8,344 ........................................ -76 ............................... -0.9%
Average Weekly Benefit ....................................... $237.87 .............................. $232.18 .................................... $5.69 ................................. 2.5%
Average Duration (weeks) ......................................... 12.6 .................................... 11.1 ........................................ 1.5 ............................... 13.5%
Trust Fund Balance ................................... $1,133,550,005 .................. $1,408,170,769 ..................... -$274,620,764 ............................. -19.5%
21
CPI Accelerates in March
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6 percent in March, before seasonal adjustment, as recently reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The March level of 184.2 (1982-84=100) was 3.0 percent higher than its level in March 2002.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.3 percent in March, following increases of 0.6 percent in February. Energy costs again rose sharply, up 4.6 percent in March, and accounted for over 90 percent of the advance in the overall CPI-U. Within energy, the index for petroleum-based energy advanced 4.3 percent and the index for energy services increased 5.0 percent. The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in March after increasing 0.1 percent in both January and February.
For the first three months of 2003, consumer prices increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 5.2 percent. This compares with an increase of 2.4 percent for all of 2002. The index
for energy, which rose 10.7 percent in 2002, accelerated in the first quarter of 2003, advancing at a 76.5 percent SAAR and accounting for about 80 percent of the first quarter advance in the overall CPI-U.
Petroleum-based energy costs increased at a 125.0 percent annual rate and charges for energy services rose 37.4 percent annual rate. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U advanced at a 0.8 percent SAAR in the first quarter, following a 1.9 percent rise in all of 2002.
The index for housing rose 0.4 percent in March. Shelter costs were virtually unchanged for the second consecutive month. The index for fuels and utilities rose 4.4 percent in March. The indexes for fuel oil increased 9.8 percent in March, and prices for fuel oil were 60.0 percent higher than in March 2002. The index for electricity increased 0.8 percent in March, accounting for all of its increase in the last 12 months.
The transportation index rose 1.0 percent in March, following increases of 1.1 and 2.0 percent in the preceding two months. The index for gasoline, which rose 6.6 and 9.9 percent in January and February, respectively, increased 4.1 percent in March. As of March, the price of gasoline was 1.0 percent higher than its previous peak level of May 2001. Airline fares increased for the second consecutive month, up 1.9 percent in March, but are 1.8 percent lower than a year ago.
The index for apparel declined 0.4 percent in March. Prior to seasonal adjustment, apparel prices rose 2.5 percent, reflecting the introduction of spring-summer apparel wear.
Medical care costs rose 0.2 percent in March to a level 4.3 percent higher than a year ago. The index for medical care commodities rose 0.4 percent. The index for medical care services rose 0.1 percent in March. Charges for professional services and for hospital and related services increased 0.1 and 0.2 percent, respectively.
YEAR 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
22
JAN
127.4 134.6 138.1 142.6 146.2 150.3 154.4 159.1 161.6 164.3 168.7 175.1 177.1 181.7
FEB
128.0 134.8 138.6 143.1 146.7 150.9 154.9 159.6 161.9 164.5 169.7 175.8 177.8 183.1
MAR
128.7 135.0 139.3 143.6 147.2 151.4 155.7 160.0 162.2 165.0 171.1 176.2 178.8 184.2
APR
128.9 135.2 139.5 144.0 147.4 151.9 156.3 160.2 162.5 166.2 171.2 176.9 179.8
MAY
129.2 135.6 139.7 144.2 147.5 152.2 156.6 160.1 162.8 166.2 171.3 177.7 179.8
JUN
129.9 136.0 140.2 144.4 148.0 152.5 156.7 160.3 163.0 166.2 172.3 178.0 179.9
JUL
130.4 136.2 140.5 144.4 148.4 152.5 157.0 160.5 163.2 166.7 172.6 177.5 180.1
AUG
131.6 136.6 140.9 144.8 149.0 152.9 157.3 160.8 163.4 167.1 172.8 177.5 180.7
SEP
132.7 137.2 141.3 145.1 149.4 153.2 157.8 161.2 163.6 167.9 173.7 178.3 181.0
OCT
133.5 137.4 141.9 145.7 149.5 153.7 158.3 161.6 164.0 168.2 174.0 177.7 181.3
NOV
133.8 137.8 142.0 145.8 149.7 153.6 158.6 161.5 164.0 168.3 174.1 177.4 181.3
DEC
133.8 137.9 141.9 145.8 149.7 153.5 158.6 161.3 163.9 168.3 174.0 176.7 180.9
AVG
130.7 136.2 140.3 144.5 148.2 152.4 156.9 160.5 163.0 166.6 172.1 177.1 179.9
CPI RATE
6.1% 3.1% 2.9% 2.7% 2.7% 2.5% 3.3% 1.7% 1.6% 2.7% 3.4% 1.6% 2.4%
Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS AT WWW.BLS.GOV
WI&A Customer Satisfaction Team
We are proud to serve you. Please contact any team member should you need assistance regarding any of our products or publications.
Employment
Jan Mayo or Lili Stern: Current Employment by industry for State and MSAs, hours and earnings
Cheryl Totton or Ann Hunter: Employment and Wages for State, MSAs and counties
Occupational & Career Information
Ridley Hubbard: Occupational employment, forecasts and wages
Elaine Hayes: Occupational Employment Survey
Electronic Delivery
Camille Bielby: QuickStats! Corey Smith: QuickSource! Winston Connally: User Applications
Other Workforce Information Areas
Faye Duzan: The Workforce Investment Act and LMI, & training needs
Bill Webb: Economic Indicators for State and Atlanta MSA
Nancy Murphy: General Information on the Workforce Information and Analysis Division
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Workforce.Info@dol.state.ga.us (404) 656-3177
Upcoming Events
Press Release Dates
March
Unemployment Insurance Claims .............. Apr. 10
Georgia Unemployment Rate/ Non-farmEmployment ......... Apr. 17
Civilian Labor Force/Area Unemployment Rates ......... Apr. 24
April
Unemployment Insurance Claims ................. May 8
Georgia Unemployment Rate/ Non-farmEmployment ......... May 15
Civilian Labor Force/Area Unemployment Rates ......... May 22
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