Dimensions: measuring Georgia's workforce, Vol. 30, no. 8 (Aug. 2004)

August 2004 Data
Highlights
Payrolls take a refreshing increase... Page 2
Total nonfarm jobs in Georgia rise in August.
Unemployment rate declines for second straight month ............Page 8
While Athens had the lowest metro area jobless rate, Albany and Augusta were tied this month in the highest rate category.
New Developments.................. Page 14
Initial claims fall by over 5,000 in August...... ..................... Page 17
Initial claims filings are also down by 20.5 percent over the year.
WI&A Customer Satisfaction Team .................. Page 19

Volume XXX, Number 8
Data Tables
3 Georgia Nonagricultural Employment 4 Atlanta Nonagricultural Employment 5 Albany & Athens Nonagricultural Employment 6 Augusta-Aiken & Columbus Nonagricultural
Employment 7 Macon & Savannah Nonagricultural Employment 9 Georgia, Metro Areas & U.S. Labor Force
Estimates 10 Georgia Labor Force Estimates by County 15 Georgia Unemployment Rates by County 16 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) 232-3875 Fax (404) 232-3888
Workforce_Info@dol.state.ga.us
Equal Opportunity Employer/Program Auxiliary Aids and Services Available upon
Request to Individuals with Disabilities

August Employment Situation

After a decline in total nonfarm jobs last month, August payrolls in Georgia show a refreshing increase of 30,500 jobs. Over half of the new jobs created were in sectors comprising, or related to, education. As summer winds down and schools open for the new year, the largest employment gain was in Government; more specifically, Local Government Education. Major gains were also experienced in Professional & Business Services and Educational & Health Services.
Construction employment was up slightly across the state in August. After losing 1,100 jobs last month, this month the sector added 400 workers. With employment in Heavy and Civil Engineering and Construction of Buildings remaining constant from last month, job growth in the sector was concentrated in the Specialty Trade Contractor industry.
As many manufacturers began to bring back those employees they laid off because of annual retooling, conversion, or repair, the Manufacturing sector gained 1,000 jobs in August. Durable Goods manufacturers added 700 workers over the month while Non-Durable Good manufacturers picked up 300.
The Trade, Transportation and Utilities sector gained 1,200 jobs in August. The increase in jobs is due in large part to the employment gain in Retail Trade (+1,400 jobs). Wholesale Trade experienced a much more moderate increase of 200 jobs for the month and the Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities industry dropped 400 jobs in August.
The Information sector experienced moderate job growth in August. With a gain of 100 workers, employment in the sector remains relatively stagnant. Employment in the Telecommunications industry was down 200 jobs for the month.
In August, the Financial Activities sector added 700 workers. This rise in employment is realized as both of the industry subsectors show job growth. The Financial and Insurance industry gained 500 workers in August and the Real Estate, Rental & Leasing Activities industry displayed a gain of 200 jobs.
With an added 3,800 jobs in August, the Professional and Business Services sector displayed one of its most impressive single month gains in employment this year. Accounting for a small portion of the overall job growth in the sector, the Professional, Scientific & Technical Services industry gained 200 jobs and Management of Companies added 400. With an additional 3,200 workers, most of the jobs in the sector were in Administrative & Support, Waste Management & Remediation Services.
Employment in the Education and Health Services sector was up 3,300 in August. Though the gain of jobs for the month was substantial, it is the lowest August gain in the sector in 4 years. As private educational institutions start to rehire for the upcoming school term, Educational Services gained 700 workers. With 2,600 jobs created in August, the Health Care and Social Assistance industry experienced its most robust monthly increase in jobs this year.

After losing jobs last month, the Leisure and Hospitality sector added 900 workers in August. The Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation industry lost 1,300 jobs over the month. This marks the second consecutive month of employment losses in the industry after five months of job gains. The Accommodation and Food Services industry picked up 2,200 workers in August and has added jobs in six of the eight months this year.
Other Services gained 200 jobs in August. With Local Government Education leading the way (+17,300 jobs), Government picked up a total 18,900 workers in August. The month's gain of employment follows a usual seasonal trend as public schools begin to reopen. State Government added 1,400 jobs and Federal Government employment was nearly unchanged with the addition of 100 workers during the month.
Metro Area Employment
The Albany Metro Area gained 400 workers in August. Government added 200 jobs and Professional & Business Services and Trade, Transportation & Utilities both added 100 workers.
In August, the Athens Metro Area picked up 500 jobs. Gaining the most jobs was the Leisure and Hospitality industry, which added 200 workers. The only industry to lose workers was Other Services, which lost 100 jobs.
The Atlanta Metro Area added 16,100 workers to its payrolls in August. The most job gains were in Government, which picked up 9,700 workers. Other industries with large gains include Professional & Business Services, which added 2,200 jobs and Educational & Health Services, which added 1,700 jobs.
In the Augusta-Aiken Metro Area there were 1,400 jobs created in August with Government (+500 jobs) showing the most gains. Dropping 100 jobs each were Natural Resources, Mining & Construction and Information.
August employment in the Columbus Metro Area was up 1,000 jobs. Government added 500 jobs and Professional & Business Services gained 200.
The Macon Metro Area picked up 1,000 workers in August. With 400 added jobs, the largest gain was in Government. Educational & Health Care Services added 200 workers.
August brought the creation of 1,100 jobs to the Savannah Metro Area. Like the overall state and other metropolitan areas, Government added the most jobs (+400 workers). Leisure and Hospitality lost 100 jobs for the month.
For more information, please contact Corey L. Smith at (404) 232-3875 or (800) 338-2082 Fax (404) 232-3888 Email: Corey.Smith@dol.state.ga.us

2

Georgia Nonagricultural Employment (000s)

Preliminary AUG 2004

Revised JUL 2004

Revised AUG 2003

Change in Jobs from JUL 2004

Net

%

Change in Jobs from AUG 2003

Net

%

Total nonfarm Total private Goods producing Service-providing
Natural resources and mining Construction
Construction of buildings Heavy and civil engineering construction Specialty trade contractors Manufacturing Durable goods
Wood product manufacturing 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 Telecommunications Wired telecommunications carriers Wireless telecommunications carriers Internet service providers, search portals & DP 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 Educational services Colleges, universities, and professional schools Health care and social assistance Hospitals Nursing and residential care facilities Social assistance Leisure and hospitality Arts, entertainment, and recreation Accommodation and food services Food services and drinking places Other services Government Federal government Department of defense State government State government education Local government Local government education

3,904.0 3,272.6
663.3 3,240.7
12.4 202.6
46.2 35.0 121.4 448.3 198.9 23.7 43.0 249.4 66.8 820.6 206.2 436.3 77.8 89.3 178.1 20.7 157.4 38.4 46.4 19.2 24.5 127.2 55.8 30.1 15.4 19.5 220.7 159.2 64.4 61.5 506.3 196.5 27.4 32.0 44.0 25.5 52.9 256.9 121.7 394.3 60.1 35.4 334.2 113.6 46.2 46.4 362.7 38.2 324.5 281.3 177.5 631.4 93.0 33.3 150.9 64.7 387.5 236.4

3,873.5 3,261.0
661.9 3,211.6
12.4 202.2
46.2 35.0 121.0 447.3 198.2 23.6 42.4 249.1 66.5 819.4 206.0 434.9 77.7 88.8 178.5 21.2 157.3 38.8 46.1 19.4 24.3 127.1 55.9 30.4 15.3 19.5 220.0 158.7 64.1 61.3 502.5 196.3 27.2 31.8 43.7 25.6 52.5 253.7 118.7 391.0 59.4 34.9 331.6 113.4 45.8 44.6 361.8 39.5 322.3 279.5 177.3 612.5 92.9 33.3 149.5 63.4 370.1 219.1

3,873.3 3,250.3
657.5 3,215.8
12.4 197.9
43.7 31.9 122.3 447.2 199.4 23.3 43.5 247.8 65.4 823.1 205.4 443.7 79.4 86.7 174.0 20.4 153.6 38.6 46.5 18.3 22.5 126.4 54.6 30.2 13.7 20.0 219.6 160.1 65.1 59.5 500.0 192.6 26.0 34.1 44.4 24.1 51.7 255.7 122.5 388.2 59.1 34.5 329.1 110.2 49.6 46.7 359.3 39.6 319.7 278.5 176.2 623.0 93.6 32.8 151.0 63.9 378.4 229.3

+30.5 +11.6 +1.4 +29.1
+.0 +.4 +.0 +.0 +.4 +1.0 +.7 +.1 +.6 +.3 +.3 +1.2 +.2 +1.4 +.1 +.5 -.4 -.5 +.1 -.4 +.3 -.2 +.2 +.1 -.1 -.3 +.1 +.0 +.7 +.5 +.3 +.2 +3.8 +.2 +.2 +.2 +.3 -.1 +.4 +3.2 +3.0 +3.3 +.7 +.5 +2.6 +.2 +.4 +1.8 +.9 -1.3 +2.2 +1.8 +.2 +18.9 +.1 +.0 +1.4 +1.3 +17.4 +17.3

+0.8 +0.4 +0.2 +0.9 +0.0 +0.2 +0.0 +0.0 +0.3 +0.2 +0.4 +0.4 +1.4 +0.1 +0.5 +0.1 +0.1 +0.3 +0.1 +0.6 -0.2 -2.4 +0.1 -1.0 +0.7 -1.0 +0.8 +0.1 -0.2 -1.0 +0.7 +0.0 +0.3 +0.3 +0.5 +0.3 +0.8 +0.1 +0.7 +0.6 +0.7 -0.4 +0.8 +1.3 +2.5 +0.8 +1.2 +1.4 +0.8 +0.2 +0.9 +4.0 +0.2 -3.3 +0.7 +0.6 +0.1 +3.1 +0.1 +0.0 +0.9 +2.1 +4.7 +7.9

+30.7 +22.3 +5.8 +24.9
+.0 +4.7 +2.5 +3.1
-.9 +1.1
-.5 +.4 -.5 +1.6 +1.4 -2.5 +.8 -7.4 -1.6 +2.6 +4.1 +.3 +3.8 -.2 -.1 +.9 +2.0 +.8 +1.2 -.1 +1.7 -.5 +1.1 -.9 -.7 +2.0 +6.3 +3.9 +1.4 -2.1 -.4 +1.4 +1.2 +1.2 -.8 +6.1 +1.0 +.9 +5.1 +3.4 -3.4 -.3 +3.4 -1.4 +4.8 +2.8 +1.3 +8.4 -.6 +.5 -.1 +.8 +9.1 +7.1

+0.8 +0.7 +0.9 +0.8 +0.0 +2.4 +5.7 +9.7 -0.7 +0.2 -0.3 +1.7 -1.1 +0.6 +2.1 -0.3 +0.4 -1.7 -2.0 +3.0 +2.4 +1.5 +2.5 -0.5 -0.2 +4.9 +8.9 +0.6 +2.2 -0.3 +12.4 -2.5 +0.5 -0.6 -1.1 +3.4 +1.3 +2.0 +5.4 -6.2 -0.9 +5.8 +2.3 +0.5 -0.7 +1.6 +1.7 +2.6 +1.5 +3.1 -6.9 -0.6 +0.9 -3.5 +1.5 +1.0 +0.7 +1.3 -0.6 +1.5 -0.1 +1.3 +2.4 +3.1

Note: 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 2003 benchmark.

Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Information & Analysis

3

Atlanta Nonagricultural Employment (000s)

Preliminary AUG 2004

Revised JUL 2004

Revised AUG 2003

Change in Jobs from JUL 2004

Net

%

Change in Jobs from AUG 2003

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 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

2,182.0 1,894.1
290.3 1,891.7
1.9 120.1
25.9 74.8 168.3 88.6 12.2 20.7 79.7 23.0 490.8 135.5 239.4 42.3 44.6 115.9 10.2 105.7 37.7 24.6 15.4 12.5 97.7 44.3 24.7 12.7 148.3 105.8 45.3 42.5 344.7 144.7 19.9 26.1 33.2 19.8 37.1 162.9 71.8 217.1 173.4 59.2 26.5 211.0 22.8 188.2 166.4 94.2 287.9 45.1 55.9 186.9

2,165.9 1,887.7
289.2 1,876.7
1.9 119.6 25.8 74.6 167.7 88.3 12.3 19.9 79.4 22.8 490.1 135.4 238.5 42.0 44.2 116.2 10.4 105.8 38.1 24.4 15.8 12.5 97.6 44.2 24.8 12.7 148.0 105.6 45.2 42.4 342.5 144.6 20.0 26.0 33.1 19.7 36.9 161.0 70.1 215.4 171.5 59.0 25.4 210.5 23.6 186.9 165.3 94.4 278.2 45.2 55.2 177.8

2,170.8 1,888.1
289.3 1,881.5
1.8 117.3 25.3 75.1 170.2 88.2 12.1 20.3 82.0 22.8 492.1 136.5 241.0 43.3 43.1 114.6 10.5 104.1 37.6 24.6 14.6
11.5 97.5 43.8 25.5 11.7 150.0 108.9 44.9 41.1 342.2 142.3 17.0 25.8 33.3 19.7 36.4 163.5 73.4 214.1 169.3 57.3 25.9 207.1 26.1 181.0 159.3 95.8 282.7 46.0 55.5 181.2

+16.1 +6.4 +1.1 +15.0
+.0 +.5 +.1 +.2 +.6 +.3 -.1 +.8 +.3 +.2 +.7 +.1 +.9 +.3 +.4 -.3 -.2 -.1 -.4 +.2 -.4 +.0 +.1 +.1 -.1 +.0 +.3 +.2 +.1 +.1 +2.2 +.1 -.1 +.1 +.1 +.1 +.2 +1.9 +1.7 +1.7 +1.9 +.2 +1.1 +.5 -.8 +1.3 +1.1 -.2 +9.7 -.1 +.7 +9.1

+0.7 +0.3 +0.4 +0.8 +0.0 +0.4 +0.4 +0.3 +0.4 +0.3 -0.8 +4.0 +0.4 +0.9 +0.1 +0.1 +0.4 +0.7 +0.9 -0.3 -1.9 -0.1 -1.0 +0.8 -2.5 +0.0 +0.1 +0.2 -0.4 +0.0 +0.2 +0.2 +0.2 +0.2 +0.6 +0.1 -0.5 +0.4 +0.3 +0.5 +0.5 +1.2 +2.4 +0.8 +1.1 +0.3 +4.3 +0.2 -3.4 +0.7 +0.7 -0.2 +3.5 -0.2 +1.3 +5.1

+11.2 +6.0 +1.0 +10.2
+.1 +2.8
+.6 -.3 -1.9 +.4 +.1 +.4 -2.3 +.2 -1.3 -1.0 -1.6 -1.0 +1.5 +1.3 -.3 +1.6 +.1 +.0 +.8 +1.0 +.2 +.5 -.8 +1.0 -1.7 -3.1 +.4 +1.4 +2.5 +2.4 +2.9 +.3 -.1 +.1 +.7 -.6 -1.6 +3.0 +4.1 +1.9 +.6 +3.9 -3.3 +7.2 +7.1 -1.6 +5.2 -.9 +.4 +5.7

+0.5 +0.3 +0.3 +0.5 +5.6 +2.4 +2.4 -0.4 -1.1 +0.5 +0.8 +2.0 -2.8 +0.9 -0.3 -0.7 -0.7 -2.3 +3.5 +1.1 -2.9 +1.5 +0.3 +0.0 +5.5 +8.7 +0.2 +1.1 -3.1 +8.5 -1.1 -2.8 +0.9 +3.4 +0.7 +1.7 +17.1 +1.2 -0.3 +0.5 +1.9 -0.4 -2.2 +1.4 +2.4 +3.3 +2.3 +1.9 -12.6 +4.0 +4.5 -1.7 +1.8 -2.0 +0.7 +3.1

Note: 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 2003 benchmark.
Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Information & Analysis

4

Albany Nonagricultural Employment (000s)

Preliminary AUG 2004

Revised JUL 2004

Revised AUG 2003

Change in Jobs

from JUL 2004

Net

%

Change in Jobs

from AUG 2003

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

57.3

56.9

45.8

45.6

10.2

10.2

47.1

46.7

3.1

3.1

7.1

7.1

11.9

11.8

2.0

2.0

7.2

7.1

2.7

2.7

1.0

1.0

2.1

2.1

5.3

5.2

8.3

8.3

4.4

4.4

2.6

2.6

11.5

11.3

2.3

2.3

9.2

9.0

57.0

+.4 +0.7

+.3 +0.5

45.6

+.2 +0.4

+.2 +0.4

10.3

+.0 +0.0

-.1 -1.0

46.7

+.4 +0.9

+.4 +0.9

3.2

+.0 +0.0

-.1 -3.1

7.1

+.0 +0.0

+.0 +0.0

11.7

+.1 +0.8

+.2 +1.7

2.0

+.0 +0.0

+.0 +0.0

7.0

+.1 +1.4

+.2 +2.9

2.7

+.0 +0.0

+.0 +0.0

1.0

+.0 +0.0

+.0 +0.0

2.1

+.0 +0.0

+.0 +0.0

5.5

+.1 +1.9

-.2 -3.6

8.0

+.0 +0.0

+.3 +3.8

4.3

+.0 +0.0

+.1 +2.3

2.7

+.0 +0.0

-.1 -3.7

11.4

+.2 +1.8

+.1 +0.9

2.4

+.0 +0.0

-.1 -4.2

9.0

+.2 +2.2

+.2 +2.2

Note: 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 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 2003 benchmark.

Athens Nonagricultural Employment (000s)

Preliminary AUG 2004

Revised JUL 2004

Revised AUG 2003

Change in Jobs

from JUL 2004

Net

%

Change in Jobs

from AUG 2003

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

74.2

73.7

53.4

53.0

11.9

11.8

62.3

61.9

3.0

2.9

8.9

8.9

11.7

11.6

1.9

1.9

8.4

8.3

1.4

1.4

.9

.9

2.6

2.6

6.1

6.1

9.3

9.2

7.0

6.8

3.9

4.0

20.8

20.7

1.6

1.7

19.2

19.0

74.4

+.5 +0.7

-.2 -0.3

53.4

+.4 +0.8

+.0 +0.0

11.8

+.1 +0.8

+.1 +0.8

62.6

+.4 +0.6

-.3 -0.5

3.0

+.1 +3.4

+.0 +0.0

8.8

+.0 +0.0

+.1 +1.1

12.2

+.1 +0.9

-.5 -4.1

1.9

+.0 +0.0

+.0 +0.0

8.9

+.1 +1.2

-.5 -5.6

1.4

+.0 +0.0

+.0 +0.0

.9

+.0 +0.0

+.0 +0.0

2.6

+.0 +0.0

+.0 +0.0

6.1

+.0 +0.0

+.0 +0.0

9.0

+.1 +1.1

+.3 +3.3

7.1

+.2 +2.9

-.1 -1.4

3.7

-.1 -2.5

+.2 +5.4

21.0

+.1 +0.5

-.2 -1.0

1.7

-.1 -5.9

-.1 -5.9

19.3

+.2 +1.1

-.1 -0.5

Note: 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 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 2003 benchmark.
Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Information & Analysis

5

Augusta-Aiken Nonagricultural Employment (000s)

Preliminary AUG 2004

Revised JUL 2004

Revised AUG 2003

Change in Jobs

from JUL 2004

Net

%

Change in Jobs

from AUG 2003

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

203.7 164.6
37.4 166.3
12.8 24.6 32.8
4.0 24.0
4.8 3.2 7.7 30.0 25.8 5.2 20.6 6.6 19.5 8.2 39.1 7.3 31.8

202.3 163.7
37.3 165.0
12.9 24.4 32.7
4.0 23.8
4.9 3.3 7.7 29.9 25.4 5.1 20.3 6.5 19.3 8.1 38.6 7.3 31.3

202.6 163.4
38.5 164.1
13.3 25.2 33.4
4.1 24.4
4.9 3.3 7.3 29.5 24.7 4.6 20.1 6.3 18.8 7.9 39.2 7.2 32.0

+1.4 +0.7 +.9 +0.5 +.1 +0.3
+1.3 +0.8 -.1 -0.8 +.2 +0.8 +.1 +0.3 +.0 +0.0 +.2 +0.8 -.1 -2.0 -.1 -3.0 +.0 +0.0 +.1 +0.3 +.4 +1.6 +.1 +2.0 +.3 +1.5 +.1 +1.5 +.2 +1.0 +.1 +1.2 +.5 +1.3 +.0 +0.0 +.5 +1.6

+1.1 +1.2 -1.1 +2.2
-.5 -.6 -.6 -.1 -.4 -.1 -.1 +.4 +.5 +1.1 +.6 +.5 +.3 +.7 +.3 -.1 +.1 -.2

+0.5 +0.7 -2.9 +1.3 -3.8 -2.4 -1.8 -2.4 -1.6 -2.0 -3.0 +5.5 +1.7 +4.5 +13.0 +2.5 +4.8 +3.7 +3.8 -0.3 +1.4 -0.6

Note: 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 2003 benchmark.

Columbus Nonagricultural Employment (000s)

Preliminary AUG 2004

Revised JUL 2004

Revised AUG 2003

Change in Jobs from JUL 2004

Net

%

Change in Jobs from AUG 2003

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

117.5 96.6 19.6 97.9
5.6 14.0 17.1
2.4 13.3
1.4 6.1 8.9 7.1 4.8 12.6 12.9 13.5 12.2 5.9 20.9 5.0 15.9

116.5 96.1 19.4 97.1
5.5 13.9 17.1
2.4 13.3
1.4 6.1 9.0 7.1 4.8 12.4 12.8 13.4 12.2 5.9 20.4 4.9 15.5

118.5 97.6 19.6 98.9
5.4 14.2 17.9
2.5 13.7
1.7 6.5 8.8 6.9 4.7 12.0 13.4 13.5 12.4 5.9 20.9 4.9 16.0

+1.0 +0.9 +.5 +0.5 +.2 +1.0 +.8 +0.8 +.1 +1.8 +.1 +0.7 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 -.1 -1.1 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.2 +1.6 +.1 +0.8 +.1 +0.7 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.5 +2.5 +.1 +2.0 +.4 +2.6

-1.0 -0.8 -1.0 -1.0 +.0 +0.0 -1.0 -1.0 +.2 +3.7
-.2 -1.4 -.8 -4.5 -.1 -4.0 -.4 -2.9 -.3 -17.6 -.4 -6.2 +.1 +1.1 +.2 +2.9 +.1 +2.1 +.6 +5.0 -.5 -3.7 +.0 +0.0 -.2 -1.6 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.1 +2.0 -.1 -0.6

Note: 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 2003 benchmark.

Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Information & Analysis

6

Macon Nonagricultural Employment (000s)

Preliminary AUG 2004

Revised JUL 2004

Revised AUG 2003

Change in Jobs

from JUL 2004

Net

%

Change in Jobs

from AUG 2003

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

150.9 115.8 19.4 131.5
6.2 13.2 26.2
3.5 18.5
4.2 2.7 10.6 16.7 20.8 13.7 5.7 35.1 14.3 20.8

149.9 115.2 19.3 130.6
6.1 13.2 26.0
3.5 18.3
4.2 2.7 10.6 16.7 20.6 13.6 5.7 34.7 14.4 20.3

150.0 115.6 20.7 129.3
6.4 14.3 25.7
3.5 18.2
4.0 2.8 10.4 16.1 20.6 13.7 5.6 34.4 14.2 20.2

+1.0 +0.7 +.6 +0.5 +.1 +0.5 +.9 +0.7 +.1 +1.6 +.0 +0.0 +.2 +0.8 +.0 +0.0 +.2 +1.1 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.2 +1.0 +.1 +0.7 +.0 +0.0 +.4 +1.2 -.1 -0.7 +.5 +2.5

+.9 +0.6 +.2 +0.2 -1.3 -6.3 +2.2 +1.7 -.2 -3.1 -1.1 -7.7 +.5 +1.9 +.0 +0.0 +.3 +1.6 +.2 +5.0 -.1 -3.6 +.2 +1.9 +.6 +3.7 +.2 +1.0 +.0 +0.0 +.1 +1.8 +.7 +2.0 +.1 +0.7 +.6 +3.0

Note: 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 2003 benchmark.

Savannah Nonagricultural Employment (000s)

Preliminary AUG 2004

Revised JUL 2004

Revised AUG 2003

Change in Jobs from JUL 2004

Net

%

Change in Jobs from AUG 2003

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

142.1 120.8
21.7 120.4
8.6 13.1 30.5
5.0 17.4
8.1 1.9 6.5 15.8 18.9 18.2 7.3 21.3 2.7 18.6

141.0 120.1
21.6 119.4
8.6 13.0 30.3
5.0 17.3
8.0 1.9 6.5 15.6 18.7 18.3 7.2 20.9 2.7 18.2

140.7 119.6 21.8 118.9
8.4 13.4 30.2
5.0 17.5
7.7 1.9 6.4 14.8 19.2 18.1 7.2 21.1 2.7 18.4

+1.1 +0.8 +.7 +0.6 +.1 +0.5
+1.0 +0.8 +.0 +0.0 +.1 +0.8 +.2 +0.7 +.0 +0.0 +.1 +0.6 +.1 +1.3 +.0 +0.0 +.0 +0.0 +.2 +1.3 +.2 +1.1 -.1 -0.5 +.1 +1.4 +.4 +1.9 +.0 +0.0 +.4 +2.2

+1.4 +1.0 +1.2 +1.0
-.1 -0.5 +1.5 +1.3
+.2 +2.4 -.3 -2.2 +.3 +1.0 +.0 +0.0 -.1 -0.6 +.4 +5.2 +.0 +0.0 +.1 +1.6 +1.0 +6.8 -.3 -1.6 +.1 +0.6 +.1 +1.4 +.2 +0.9 +.0 +0.0 +.2 +1.1

Note: 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 2003 benchmark.
Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Information & Analysis

7

Dimensions - Measuring Georgia's Labor Force

Unemployment declines for second straight month
For the second straight month, Georgia's unemployment rate declined. The state's rate dropped from July's revised level of 4.4 percent to 4.3 percent in August. The decline was expected, as seasonal factors weighed in, preserving a 26-year downward trend. Last year in August, Georgia's rate was 4.7 percent.
The U.S. unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, also declined in August for the second consecutive month. That rate dropped from 5.7 percent in July to 5.4 percent in August. Although the national rate had a larger over-the-month drop than the state, Georgia's rate continued to compare favorably with the U.S. as a whole. In fact, the state's rate has been at or below the nation's average for more than four years now. A year ago, the U.S. rate was 6.3 percent.
An over-the-month decline, in the number of persons receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefits during August, was partly responsible for the current month decline in the total number of unemployed Georgians. A seasonal decline in the number of summer job seekers was also a contributing factor to the state's lower unemployment level, as young people returned to school in August. At slightly less than 190,000, Georgia's total count of unemployed dropped by more than 7,000 or 3.6 percent over the month.

Unemployment rates -- Georgia and U.S.
7.5%

Ge orgi a

U.S .

6.5%

5.5%

4.5%

3.5%

Aug Sep O ct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug

2003

2004

Area data
Of Georgia's seven Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), Albany was the only one to not track the states downward trend in August. In fact, Albany's rate was essentially unchanged over the month at 5.2 percent, the highest metro area rate in the state. Augusta, despite an over-themonth drop of five-tenths of a percentage point, was also at 5.2 percent in August. Athens, at 2.9 percent, ranked lowest in the state of all the MSAs.
Of Georgia's 159 counties, the majority had declining unemployment rates. The final tally 118 counties decreased in August, 20 counties increased over the month and the remaining 21 counties were essentially unchanged. Despite a significant over-themonth drop of nearly one percentage

point, Burke County, at 9.4 percent was the highest rate. Once again, Echols County, at 1.5 percent, had the lowest county rate.
Mass Layoff Statistics
In August, Georgia employers initiated 21 mass layoff events, as measured by new filings for unemployment benefits during the month. Each action consisted of at least 50 separated workers from a single establishment. The number of laid off employees involved in the events totaled 1,827, which was down 21.9 percent over the month. In July, there were 27 layoffs affecting 2,338 workers. This month's figure for separated workers represents a decline of 12.0 percent when compared to August 2003, when 20 events affected 2,077 workers.

Percent Southeastern states and U.S. unemployment rates
9

8

August 2004

July 2004

7 6.2

6

5.8

5.8 6.0 5.4

6.5 6.6 5.4

5.7 5.4

5

4.8 4.7 4.3 4.4 4.7

4.9

4.9 4.7

4

3

2

1

0

AL

FL

GA

KY

MS

NC

SC

TN

US

In August, five states in the Southeast recorded over-the-month declines in their unemployment rates. However, the state that stands out most is Kentucky. At 4.7 percent in August, Kentucky recorded the largest over-the-month decline of seventenths of a percentage point and was down by nearly one and one-half percentage points from the beginning of the year. South Carolina, showing no signs of reversal, posted the highest regional rate (6.5%). South Carolina was one of only three states to post a rate above the nation's average of 5.4 percent. Georgia's rate, at 4.3 percent in August, continued to rank the lowest in the region.

8

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 AUG 2004

Revised JUL 2004

Revised AUG 2003

Change From

Revised

Revised

JUL 2004

AUG 2003

Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed Rate

4,422,957 4,234,612
188,345 4.3

4,430,472 4,234,999
195,473 4.4

4,415,469 4,209,982
205,487 4.7

-7,515 -387
-7,128

7,488 24,630 -17,142

Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate

57,707

57,851

57,397

-144

310

54,730

54,815

54,668

-85

62

2,977

3,036

2,729

-59

248

5.2

5.2

4.8

Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate

79,493 77,156
2,337 2.9

79,794 77,363
2,431 3.0

79,946 77,515
2,431 3.0

-301 -207
-94

-453 -359
-94

Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate

2,435,048 2,327,454
107,594 4.4

2,437,733 2,328,904
108,829 4.5

2,437,267 2,319,597
117,670 4.8

-2,685 -1,450 -1,235

-2,219 7,857 -10,076

Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate

223,407 211,705
11,702 5.2

225,337 212,514
12,823 5.7

219,317 208,458
10,859 5.0

-1,930 -809
-1,121

4,090 3,247
843

Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate

129,795 123,312
6,483 5.0

129,989 123,388
6,601 5.1

132,667 124,935
7,732 5.8

-194 -76 -118

-2,872 -1,623 -1,249

Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate

161,613

162,374

161,614

-761

-1

155,290

155,623

155,246

-333

44

6,323

6,751

6,368

-428

-45

3.9

4.2

3.9

Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed Rate

149,575 144,211
5,364 3.6

150,584 144,530
6,054 4.0

149,438 143,492
5,946 4.0

-1,009 -319 -690

137 719 -582

United States Labor Force Estimates Place of Residence - Persons 16 Years and Older

Area

Employment Status

AUG 2004

JUL 2004

AUG 2003

Change From

JUL 2004

AUG 2003

United States
(Seasonally adjusted)

Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed Rate

147,704,000 139,681,000
8,022,000 5.4

147,856,000 139,660,000
8,196,000 5.5

146,622,000 137,693,000
8,929,000 6.1

-152,000 21,000
-174,000

1,082,000 1,988,000 -907,000

United States
(Not Seasonally adjusted)

Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed
Rate

148,166,000 140,226,000
7,940,000 5.4

149,217,000 140,700,000
8,518,000 5.7

146,967,000 138,137,000
8,830,000 6.0

-1,051,000 -474,000 -578,000

1,199,000 2,089,000 -890,000

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 Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham counties

Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Workforce Information & Analysis

9

Georgia Labor Force Estimates by County (not seasonally adjusted)

Georgia
Appling Atkinson Bacon Baker Baldwin

Place of Residence - Persons 16 Years and Older

Preliminary August 2004

Revised July 2004

Labor Force

Employment

Unemployment Number Rate

Labor Force

Employment

Unemployment Number Rate

4,422,957 4,234,612 188,345 4.3

7,649 3,323 3,990 1,795 18,575

7,158 3,111 3,814 1,740 17,943

491 6.4 212 6.4 176 4.4
55 3.1 632 3.4

4,430,472 4,234,999 195,473 4.4

7,708 3,358 4,008 1,787 18,560

7,147 3,100 3,807 1,724 17,937

561 7.3 258 7.7 201 5.0
63 3.5 623 3.4

Banks Barrow Bartow Ben Hill Berrien

7,035 6,828

207 2.9

25,079 23,867 1,212 4.8

42,504 40,532 1,972 4.6

8,130 7,827

303 3.7

7,034 6,807

227 3.2

7,046 6,817

229 3.3

24,991 23,881 1,110 4.4

42,814 40,557 2,257 5.3

8,113 7,812

301 3.7

7,023 6,785

238 3.4

Bibb Bleckley Brantley Brooks Bryan

74,704 71,456 3,248 4.3

6,131 5,926

205 3.3

7,159 6,789

370 5.2

7,845 7,674

171 2.2

12,238 11,913

325 2.7

75,107 71,609 3,498 4.7

6,125 5,917

208 3.4

7,185 6,785

400 5.6

7,865 7,667

198 2.5

12,345 11,940

405 3.3

Bulloch Burke Butts Calhoun Camden

29,528 9,514 9,830 2,473
17,086

28,722 8,615 9,411 2,380
16,358

806 2.7 899 9.4 419 4.3
93 3.8 728 4.3

29,650 9,590 9,823 2,485
17,166

28,699 8,600 9,405 2,368
16,348

951 3.2 990 10.3 418 4.3 117 4.7 818 4.8

Candler Carroll Catoosa Charlton Chatham

4,133 3,959

174 4.2

47,611 45,527 2,084 4.4

30,063 29,360

703 2.3

4,494 4,301

193 4.3

116,451 112,082 4,369 3.8

4,120 3,945

175 4.2

47,728 45,556 2,172 4.6

30,167 29,376

791 2.6

4,523 4,299

224 5.0

117,200 112,330 4,870 4.2

Chattahoochee 2,297

2,115

182 7.9

Chattooga

11,211 10,808

403 3.6

Cherokee

88,202 85,365 2,837 3.2

Clarke

51,099 49,494 1,605 3.1

Clay

1,922 1,854

68 3.5

2,299

2,116

183 8.0

11,213 10,804

409 3.6

88,332 85,418 2,914 3.3

51,332 49,627 1,705 3.3

1,931 1,847

84 4.4

Clayton Clinch Cobb Coffee Colquitt

142,790 134,817 7,973 5.6

2,920 2,821

99 3.4

383,350 369,045 14,305 3.7

21,249 20,340

909 4.3

18,383 17,689

694 3.8

143,149 134,901 8,248 5.8

2,918 2,814

104 3.6

384,116 369,275 14,841 3.9

21,348 20,300 1,048 4.9

18,426 17,640

786 4.3

Columbia Cook Coweta Crawford Crisp

46,943 45,440 1,503 3.2

7,751 7,463

288 3.7

48,605 46,634 1,971 4.1

6,490 6,217

273 4.2

9,421 8,874

547 5.8

47,034 45,488 1,546 3.3

7,748 7,447

301 3.9

48,566 46,663 1,903 3.9

6,495 6,209

286 4.4

9,395 8,852

543 5.8

Revised August 2003

Labor Force

Employment

Unemployment Number Rate

4,415,469 4,209,982 205,487 4.7

7,624 3,270 3,967 1,746 18,317

7,045 3,044 3,752 1,678 17,752

579 7.6 226 6.9 215 5.4
68 3.9 565 3.1

6,978 25,032 42,492
8,165 6,912

6,726 23,786 40,395
7,697 6,663

252 3.6 1,246 5.0 2,097 4.9
468 5.7 249 3.6

74,598 6,011 7,122 7,780
12,215

71,436 5,841 6,707 7,575 11,854

3,162 4.2 170 2.8 415 5.8 205 2.6 361 3.0

29,170 9,675 9,777 2,452
17,032

28,368 8,479 9,304 2,317
16,172

802 2.7 1,196 12.4
473 4.8 135 5.5 860 5.0

4,011 47,607 29,841
4,507 116,436

3,876 45,374 29,129
4,252 111,523

135 3.4 2,233 4.7
712 2.4 255 5.7 4,913 4.2

2,327 11,100 88,509 51,408 1,875

2,145 10,689 85,077 49,724
1,814

182 7.8 411 3.7 3,432 3.9 1,684 3.3 61 3.3

143,006 134,362 8,644 6.0

2,915 2,768

147 5.0

383,332 367,799 15,533 4.1

21,517 20,005 1,512 7.0

18,238 17,349

889 4.9

46,639 7,778
48,608 6,372 9,215

45,385 7,333
46,476 6,127 8,712

1,254 2.7 445 5.7
2,132 4.4 245 3.8 503 5.5

10

Georgia Labor Force Estimates by County (not seasonally adjusted)

Dade Dawson Decatur DeKalb Dodge

Place of Residence - Persons 16 Years and Older

Preliminary August 2004

Revised July 2004

Labor Force

Employment

Unemployment Number Rate

Labor Force

Employment

Unemployment Number Rate

7,827 7,633

194 2.5

11,787 11,446

341 2.9

11,778 11,031

747 6.3

393,760 372,464 21,296 5.4

10,349 10,083

266 2.6

7,951 7,637

314 3.9

11,650 11,314

336 2.9

11,776 11,005

771 6.5

393,754 372,697 21,057 5.3

10,392 10,030

362 3.5

Dooly Dougherty Douglas Early Echols

4,465 4,314

151 3.4

43,950 41,334 2,616 6.0

54,441 52,030 2,411 4.4

5,246 4,993

253 4.8

1,910 1,882

28 1.5

4,499 4,303

196 4.4

44,001 41,398 2,603 5.9

54,497 52,063 2,434 4.5

5,232 4,974

258 4.9

1,913 1,880

33 1.7

Effingham Elbert Emanuel Evans Fannin

20,886 9,620 8,982 5,299 9,440

20,215 9,188 8,482 5,174 9,138

671 3.2 432 4.5 500 5.6 125 2.4 302 3.2

21,039 9,682 9,096 5,308 9,505

20,260 9,177 8,460 5,165 9,120

779 3.7 505 5.2 636 7.0 143 2.7 385 4.1

Fayette Floyd Forsyth Franklin Fulton

50,750 49,396 1,354 2.7

48,534 46,310 2,224 4.6

63,437 61,841 1,596 2.5

11,475 11,012

463 4.0

430,405 408,184 22,221 5.2

50,788 49,426 1,362 2.7

48,161 46,297 1,864 3.9

63,532 61,879 1,653 2.6

11,516 11,001

515 4.5

431,527 408,438 23,089 5.4

Gilmer Glascock Glynn Gordon Grady

9,705 9,357

348 3.6

1,053 1,007

46 4.4

36,718 35,547 1,171 3.2

22,563 21,610

953 4.2

9,636 9,257

379 3.9

9,723 9,353

370 3.8

1,046 1,007

39 3.7

36,788 35,550 1,238 3.4

22,606 21,591 1,015 4.5

9,646 9,209

437 4.5

Greene

5,831 5,474

357 6.1

Gwinnett

390,153 375,844 14,309 3.7

Habersham

17,123 16,682

441 2.6

Hall

81,182 78,616 2,566 3.2

Hancock

3,703 3,474

229 6.2

5,862 5,468

394 6.7

389,580 376,078 13,502 3.5

17,192 16,662

530 3.1

80,918 78,283 2,635 3.3

3,689 3,470

219 5.9

Haralson Harris Hart Heard Henry

10,827 10,329

498 4.6

13,635 13,193

442 3.2

9,587 9,129

458 4.8

5,244 4,989

255 4.9

74,898 71,910 2,988 4.0

10,847 10,312

535 4.9

13,662 13,205

457 3.3

9,665

9,117

548 5.7

5,200 4,968

232 4.5

75,043 71,955 3,088 4.1

Houston Irwin Jackson Jasper Jeff Davis

58,085 56,261 1,824 3.1

4,671 4,536

135 2.9

25,312 24,442

870 3.4

5,451 5,182

269 4.9

4,947 4,628

319 6.4

58,258 56,382 1,876 3.2

4,691 4,527

164 3.5

25,281 24,421

860 3.4

5,494 5,171

323 5.9

4,936 4,618

318 6.4

Revised August 2003

Labor Force

Employment

Unemployment Number Rate

7,845 7,573

272 3.5

11,553 11,224

329 2.8

11,536 10,836

700 6.1

393,355 371,207 22,148 5.6

10,254 9,900

354 3.5

4,572 43,618 54,407
5,224 1,898

4,235 41,287 51,854
4,881 1,857

337 7.4 2,331 5.3 2,553 4.7
343 6.6 41 2.2

20,787 9,625 8,891 5,254 9,506

20,115 9,063 8,322 5,096 8,991

672 3.2 562 5.8 569 6.4 158 3.0 515 5.4

50,876 49,229 1,647 3.2

47,898 45,820 2,078 4.3

63,677 61,632 2,045 3.2

11,342 10,864

478 4.2

432,154 406,806 25,348 5.9

9,634 1,037 36,499 22,412 9,386

9,249 993
35,212 21,341
9,010

385 4.0 44 4.2
1,287 3.5 1,071 4.8
376 4.0

5,767 5,399

368 6.4

390,164 374,575 15,589 4.0

17,036 16,450

586 3.4

80,133 77,411 2,722 3.4

3,661 3,425

236 6.4

10,713 13,862
9,454 5,165 74,805

10,169 13,380
9,002 4,911 71,667

544 5.1 482 3.5 452 4.8 254 4.9 3,138 4.2

58,030 4,725
25,053 5,380 5,016

56,245 4,460
24,127 5,093 4,550

1,785 3.1 265 5.6 926 3.7 287 5.3 466 9.3

11

Georgia Labor Force Estimates by County (not seasonally adjusted)

Jefferson Jenkins Johnson Jones Lamar

Place of Residence - Persons 16 Years and Older

Preliminary August 2004

Revised July 2004

Labor Force
7,408 4,136 3,357 13,086 6,667

Employment

Unemployment Number Rate

6,782 3,955 3,170 12,618 6,313

626 8.5 181 4.4 187 5.6 468 3.6 354 5.3

Labor Force
7,472 4,158 3,358 13,156 6,674

Employment

Unemployment Number Rate

6,768 3,928 3,165 12,645 6,284

704 9.4 230 5.5 193 5.7 511 3.9 390 5.8

Lanier Laurens Lee Liberty Lincoln

3,725 3,634

91 2.4

23,173 22,111 1,062 4.6

13,757 13,396

361 2.6

19,710 18,581 1,129 5.7

2,518 2,364

154 6.1

3,732 3,631

101 2.7

23,345 22,093 1,252 5.4

13,850 13,417

433 3.1

19,809 18,573 1,236 6.2

2,526 2,361

165 6.5

Long Lowndes Lumpkin McDuffie McIntosh

5,035 4,896

139 2.8

47,668 46,446 1,222 2.6

12,425 12,022

403 3.2

9,759 9,151

608 6.2

5,113 4,913

200 3.9

5,072 4,894

178 3.5

47,649 46,403 1,246 2.6

12,333 11,954

379 3.1

9,776 9,161

615 6.3

5,130 4,909

221 4.3

Macon Madison Marion Meriwether Miller

5,492 13,918
2,906 9,446 3,468

5,082 13,464
2,728 8,841 3,340

410 7.5 454 3.3 178 6.1 605 6.4 128 3.7

5,542 13,959
2,926 9,456 3,462

5,063 13,500
2,723 8,804 3,328

479 8.6 459 3.3 203 6.9 652 6.9 134 3.9

Mitchell Monroe Montgomery Morgan Murray

12,400 8,084 3,785 8,256
18,946

11,849 7,677 3,591 7,945 18,343

551 4.4 407 5.0 194 5.1 311 3.8 603 3.2

12,354 8,046 3,780 8,232
18,941

11,815 7,646 3,586 7,931 18,274

539 4.4 400 5.0 194 5.1 301 3.7 667 3.5

Muscogee Newton Oconee Oglethorpe Paulding

88,722 84,535 4,187 4.7

34,783 32,891 1,892 5.4

14,476 14,199

277 1.9

6,936 6,707

229 3.3

48,928 47,026 1,902 3.9

89,001 84,609 4,392 4.9

34,793 32,911 1,882 5.4

14,504 14,237

267 1.8

6,928 6,698

230 3.3

49,120 47,055 2,065 4.2

Peach Pickens Pierce Pike Polk

11,272 12,798
8,662 8,246 19,821

10,686 12,457
8,389 7,938 18,936

586 5.2 341 2.7 273 3.2 308 3.7 885 4.5

11,371 10,709

662 5.8

12,836 12,465

371 2.9

8,641 8,372

269 3.1

8,251 7,902

349 4.2

19,859 18,859 1,000 5.0

Pulaski Putnam Quitman Rabun Randolph

4,385 10,114 1,508 7,654 3,145

4,264 9,832 1,471 7,524 2,971

121 2.8 282 2.8
37 2.5 130 1.7 174 5.5

4,358 10,081
1,512 7,675 3,194

4,235 9,789 1,467 7,526 2,965

123 2.8 292 2.9
45 3.0 149 1.9 229 7.2

Revised August 2003

Labor Force

Employment

Unemployment Number Rate

7,349 4,069 3,411 13,049 6,601

6,672 3,861 3,122 12,615 6,207

677 9.2 208 5.1 289 8.5 434 3.3 394 6.0

3,668 23,280 13,779 19,377
2,542

3,587 21,836 13,381 18,375
2,332

81 2.2 1,444 6.2
398 2.9 1,002 5.2
210 8.3

4,969 47,313 12,137
9,688 5,062

4,842 45,846 11,818
9,141 4,850

127 2.6 1,467 3.1
319 2.6 547 5.6 212 4.2

5,405 14,004
2,831 9,433 3,422

4,964 13,526
2,682 8,701 3,264

441 8.2 478 3.4 149 5.3 732 7.8 158 4.6

12,199 7,997 3,772 8,163
18,798

11,618 7,559 3,537 7,813 18,079

581 4.8 438 5.5 235 6.2 350 4.3 719 3.8

90,830 34,792 14,534
6,896 48,787

85,733 32,780 14,265
6,612 46,867

5,097 5.6 2,012 5.8
269 1.9 284 4.1 1,920 3.9

11,462 12,952
8,528 8,208 19,452

10,683 12,415
8,248 7,812 18,661

779 6.8 537 4.1 280 3.3 396 4.8 791 4.1

4,309 10,010
1,489 7,597 3,133

4,172 9,663 1,443 7,457 2,921

137 3.2 347 3.5
46 3.1 140 1.8 212 6.8

12

Georgia Labor Force Estimates by County (not seasonally adjusted)

Richmond Rockdale Schley Screven Seminole

Place of Residence - Persons 16 Years and Older

Preliminary August 2004

Revised July 2004

Labor Force

Employment

Unemployment Number Rate

Labor Force

Employment

Unemployment Number Rate

85,184 80,166 5,018 5.9

40,550 38,756 1,794 4.4

1,873 1,791

82 4.4

5,717 5,406

311 5.4

4,838 4,658

180 3.7

85,469 80,251 5,218 6.1

40,503 38,780 1,723 4.3

1,863 1,781

82 4.4

5,738 5,396

342 6.0

4,821 4,641

180 3.7

Spalding Stephens Stewart Sumter Talbot

28,918 27,348 1,570 5.4

12,027 11,272

755 6.3

2,559 2,345

214 8.4

14,698 13,938

760 5.2

2,952 2,776

176 6.0

29,157 27,365 1,792 6.1

12,140 11,267

873 7.2

2,551 2,341

210 8.2

14,702 13,920

782 5.3

2,928 2,761

167 5.7

Taliaferro Tattnall Taylor Telfair Terrell

833 7,216 3,723 4,104 4,204

778 6,916 3,542 3,894 3,929

55 6.6 300 4.2 181 4.9 210 5.1 275 6.5

830 7,212 3,734 4,137 4,183

776 6,883 3,533 3,884 3,919

54 6.5 329 4.6 201 5.4 253 6.1 264 6.3

Thomas Tift Toombs Towns Treutlen

23,140 21,416 11,900
5,053 3,023

22,259 20,683 11,204
4,960 2,855

881 3.8 733 3.4 696 5.8
93 1.8 168 5.6

23,087 21,363 11,994
5,071 3,027

22,234 20,644 11,186
4,960 2,851

853 3.7 719 3.4 808 6.7 111 2.2 176 5.8

Troup Turner Twiggs Union Upson

31,246 29,464 1,782 5.7

4,525 4,276

249 5.5

4,466 4,269

197 4.4

9,552 9,303

249 2.6

10,393 9,834

559 5.4

31,468 29,457 2,011 6.4

4,560 4,263

297 6.5

4,483 4,278

205 4.6

9,587 9,295

292 3.0

10,437 9,829

608 5.8

Walker Walton Ware Warren Washington

31,869 30,991

878 2.8

33,087 31,521 1,566 4.7

15,986 15,284

702 4.4

2,264 2,095

169 7.5

9,244 8,872

372 4.0

32,095 31,009 1,086 3.4

32,906 31,540 1,366 4.2

15,988 15,276

712 4.5

2,281 2,091

190 8.3

9,244 8,859

385 4.2

Wayne Webster Wheeler White Whitfield

11,697 11,160

537 4.6

1,237 1,167

70 5.7

2,138 2,002

136 6.4

10,122 9,847

275 2.7

51,081 49,649 1,432 2.8

11,750 11,155

595 5.1

1,237 1,163

74 6.0

2,154 1,998

156 7.2

10,150 9,843

307 3.0

51,235 49,633 1,602 3.1

Wilcox Wilkes Wilkinson Worth

3,453 5,004 4,345 9,960

3,319 4,702 4,140 9,511

134 3.9 302 6.0 205 4.7 449 4.5

3,471 5,013 4,344 9,965

3,311 4,673 4,136 9,480

160 4.6 340 6.8 208 4.8 485 4.9

Revised August 2003

Labor Force

Employment

Unemployment Number Rate

84,864 40,436
1,846 5,668 4,714

80,070 38,625
1,757 5,313 4,551

4,794 5.6 1,811 4.5
89 4.8 355 6.3 163 3.5

29,140 11,940 2,463 14,548 2,920

27,256 11,144 2,309 13,736 2,726

1,884 6.5 796 6.7 154 6.3 812 5.6 194 6.6

830 7,030 3,685 4,135 4,102

767 6,736 3,482 3,823 3,850

63 7.6 294 4.2 203 5.5 312 7.5 252 6.1

22,807 21,131 11,821
5,002 3,008

21,955 20,345 11,035
4,913 2,812

852 3.7 786 3.7 786 6.6
89 1.8 196 6.5

30,894 4,497 4,476 9,513
10,465

29,156 4,191 4,268 9,186 9,725

1,738 5.6 306 6.8 208 4.6 327 3.4 740 7.1

31,829 33,137 15,784
2,316 9,217

30,747 31,414 15,107
2,060 8,744

1,082 3.4 1,723 5.2
677 4.3 256 11.1 473 5.1

11,616 1,192 2,134 10,042 50,621

11,028 1,143 1,966 9,734 49,109

588 5.1 49 4.1
168 7.9 308 3.1 1,512 3.0

3,438 5,018 4,329 9,788

3,258 4,608 4,089 9,314

180 5.2 410 8.2 240 5.5 474 4.8

13

New Developments

Base officials at the Marine Corps Logistics
Base in Albany in Dougherty County have announced that 250 to 350 jobs will be created in their maintenance center to handle the increased work on armor kits and rebuilding vehicles damaged in the war on terror. The officer in charge of the maintenance center stated that jobs would be full time for one-year terms, but could continue for several years depending on the amount of work. One of the maintenance center's biggest projects will be manufacturing steel armor kits to attach to humvees and other military vehicles that are used in Iraq and Afghanistan. These kits that have been designed and created under budget faster than expected have been cited in saving numerous American lives.
LG Chem Industrial Materials is building a new
150,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Gordon County south of Calhoun. LGCIM is a division of LG Chem that is a subsidiary of one of the world's largest companies, LG Chem Group of Korea. The new plant represents a $40 million dollar investment and will create up to 70 new jobs initially with the expectation of having 150 to 200 employees within five years. The factory will manufacture acrylic counter tops used with kitchen and bathroom sinks. They will begin hiring in April of 2005 and start production the following June. The decision to initiate manufacturing in the United States was prompted by the popularity of its counter top line LG Hi-Macs in this country.
Williams Brothers Lumber Company has pur-
chased the old Georgia Box facility between Jackson and Jenkinsburg in Butts County. The company plans to manufacture trusses in the smaller 60,000 square foot building. The larger, 140,000 square foot building will house offices and storage for the other materials that they offer. To be able to offload and redistribute its goods the company will also construct a railroad spur off of the mainline to run beside the buildings. Williams Brothers is one of the premier truss suppliers in the Southeast, servicing all aspects of the industry including single

family, multifamily, industrial and agricultural. They also offer a full line of lumber, siding, roofing, millwork, windows, doors, and associated building products. They are planning a grand opening in January of 2005 and initially plan to hire 100 employees, but estimate that their workforce should climb to 150 sometime in the third quarter of next year.
Tolleson Lumber Company, which operates a
facility in Preston, announced that it plans to double its production at the Webster County facility by adding a second shift. The new equipment investment of between 6 million and 8 million dollars will result in the creation of 85 new jobs for the area. Hiring is expected to begin in early 2005. The company produced 105 million board feet of lumber at the Webster County facility in 2003 and estimates that the payroll increase for the community with the new shift will be between 2.2 million and 2.65 million dollars annually.
Amrep, Inc. announced that it would shift produc-
tion to its facilities in Lancaster, Texas as well as Marietta, Georgia following the closing of its Jacksonville, Florida manufacturing facility. The transition will take place over the next two quarters and will increase the company's Cobb County employment by about 180 workers bringing the total to around 220. The Georgia plant produces limited brand and private label products that include aerosol, liquid lubricants and wipe products.
A grower-owned peanut shelling facility is expected
to be up and running in Tifton by May of 2005. The 15 million dollar facility will be funded by 5 million dollars in stock by farmers in Tift County and ten other surrounding counties, a 2.5 million dollar loan from the Tift County Development Authority, and the balance from bank loans. The company, Tifton Quality Peanuts, LLC, has been a project by local farmers that has been almost three years in the making. At its completion it will be one of the largest industrial investments made in Tift County in the last ten years and provide jobs for 45 full time employees.

14

Georgia Unemployment Rates by County
August 2004

Dade

C atoosa W hitfield M urray

F a nnin

Towns U ni on

R abun

W alker C hattooga
Floyd

Gordon B art ow

Gilm er

Habersham W hite

Lum pkin

S tephens

Pickens

Dawson

C herokee

F or syt h

Hall

B anks Franklin

Hart

Rate
6.0 to 9.9 4.3 to 5.9 Less than 4.3

Jackson

M adison

Elbert

Polk

Paulding

C obb

Gwi nnet t

B arrow

C larke Oglethorpe

Oconee

Haralson C arroll

Douglas

DeK alb R ockdale

W alton

Fulton Clayton

Fayette

Henry

N e wt on

M organ

W ilkes

L i ncol n

Greene Taliaferro

Colum bia M cDuffie

W arren

Heard

C oweta

S palding

B utts

Jasper

Putnam Hancock

Glascock

R ichm ond

Troup

M eriwether

Pike

Lam ar M onroe

Upson

Jones

B aldwin

Jefferson W ashington

B urke

Harris

Talbot

C rawford

B ibb

W ilkinson

Johnson

Jenkins

S creven

M uscogee

Taylor

Peach

Twiggs

Houston B leckley

L a ur e ns

Em anuel

C hattahoochee Marion
S chley

M acon

W ebster S tewart

Sum ter

Dooly

Pulaski

Dodge

Treutlen

C andler

B ulloch

Effingham

M ontgom ery

W heeler

Toom bs

Evans Tat t na l l

B ryan

C hat ham

Quitm an

Terrell

R andolph

Lee

C risp

W ilcox

Telfair

Turner

Ben Hill

Jeff Davis

A ppling

Liberty L ong

Clay

C alhoun

Do ughe r t y

W orth

Irwin Tift

C offee

B acon

W ayne

M cIntosh

Early

B aker

M iller

M itchell

C olquitt

B errien

A tkinson

C ook

Pierce

W are

B rant ley

Glynn

S em inole Decat ur

Grady

Thom as B rooks

L a ni e r

C linch

C har lt on

Cam den

L o wnde s

Echols

Georgia's Unemployment Rate: 4.3%

15

Georgia Unemployment Insurance Claims by County

County

August Average Initial Weekly Average
Claims Benefit Duration

County

August Average Initial Weekly Average
Claims Benefit Duration

Appling

50 ...... $224 ..... 11.4

Atkinson

21 ...... $180 ..... 13.1

Bacon

33 ...... $196 ..... 11.2

Baker

8 ...... $170 ..... 11.9

Baldwin

191 ...... $185 ..... 10.5

Banks

60 ...... $207 ..... 11.3

Barrow

239 ...... $222 ..... 13.2

Bartow

387 ...... $231 ..... 11.7

Ben Hill

79 ...... $174 ....... 7.2

Berrien

54 ...... $184 ....... 8.6

Bibb

627 ...... $178 ..... 14.5

Bleckley

102 ...... $180 ..... 10.1

Brantley

55 ...... $228 ..... 11.9

Brooks

39 ...... $219 ..... 11.4

Bryan

57 ...... $228 ..... 12.6

Bulloch

140 ...... $183 ..... 13.7

Burke

156 ...... $174 ..... 13.2

Butts

79 ...... $210 ..... 13.8

Calhoun

16 ...... $135 ..... 13.3

Camden

91 ...... $211 ..... 12.7

Candler

31 ...... $191 ..... 12.3

Carroll

375 ...... $210 ..... 12.1

Catoosa

141 ...... $231 ....... 8.7

Charlton

24 ...... $206 ..... 15.2

Chatham

646 ...... $187 ..... 14.9

Chattahoochee 11 ...... $173 ..... 12.5

Chattooga

79 ...... $222 ..... 15.3

Cherokee

421 ...... $246 ..... 15.4

Clarke

312 ...... $191 ..... 14.1

Clay

6 ...... $219 ..... 10.9

Clayton

1,165 ...... $217 ..... 15.7

Clinch

17 ...... $158 ..... 15.2

Cobb

1,860 ...... $242 ..... 16.5

Coffee

188 ...... $191 ..... 14.1

Colquitt

209 ...... $160 ....... 9.9

Columbia

171 ...... $224 ..... 13.0

Cook

60 ...... $189 ..... 10.4

Coweta

328 ...... $213 ..... 12.8

Crawford

53 ...... $215 ..... 14.9

Crisp

88 ...... $180 ....... 8.6

Dade

25 ...... $206 ....... 6.1

Dawson

61 ...... $235 ..... 13.7

Decatur

143 ...... $187 ..... 12.4

DeKalb

3,219 ...... $224 ..... 15.4

Dodge

61 ...... $163 ..... 10.7

Dooly

49 ...... $172 ....... 7.4

Dougherty

367 ...... $174 ..... 14.4

Douglas

371 ...... $239 ..... 15.2

Early

53 ...... $165 ..... 12.3

Echols

6 ...... $219 ..... 13.0

Effingham

124 ...... $229 ..... 13.1

Elbert

98 ...... $174 ....... 8.6

Emanuel

83 ...... $184 ..... 10.3

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 Macon Madison Marion McDuffie McIntosh Meriwether Miller Mitchell Monroe Montgomery Morgan Murray Muscogee

22 ...... $196 ..... 11.7 105 ...... $210 ..... 10.2 172 ...... $237 ..... 16.1 825 ...... $212 ..... 11.1 236 ...... $253 ..... 16.2 194 ...... $208 ..... 11.0 2,978 ...... $217 ..... 16.0 167 ...... $224 ....... 8.6
16 ...... $218 ..... 11.4 222 ...... $206 ..... 12.3 532 ...... $220 ....... 7.3
87 ...... $187 ..... 10.3 75 ...... $170 ..... 11.2 2,354 ...... $245 ..... 15.3 180 ...... $203 ....... 8.1 496 ...... $227 ..... 11.6 41 ...... $175 ..... 10.2 92 ...... $219 ..... 11.6 78 ...... $229 ..... 10.7 141 ...... $194 ....... 8.6 59 ...... $212 ..... 10.4 387 ...... $236 ..... 15.5 274 ...... $195 ..... 13.5 39 ...... $191 ....... 8.4 179 ...... $221 ..... 12.4 45 ...... $240 ..... 13.6 49 ...... $198 ....... 9.2 115 ...... $171 ..... 12.9 72 ...... $163 ....... 8.1 65 ...... $152 ..... 10.6 65 ...... $227 ..... 15.0 85 ...... $185 ..... 11.6 13 ...... $185 ..... 11.1 387 ...... $181 ..... 11.5 78 ...... $229 ..... 11.0 141 ...... $177 ..... 12.5 27 ...... $220 ..... 10.6 22 ...... $196 ..... 14.3 302 ...... $173 ..... 11.5 137 ...... $218 ....... 7.6 81 ...... $176 ..... 11.9 92 ...... $207 ..... 12.1 25 ...... $191 ..... 12.4 132 ...... $173 ..... 10.5 36 ...... $212 ..... 13.6 128 ...... $199 ..... 10.7 36 ...... $182 ..... 10.7 129 ...... $159 ..... 15.2 97 ...... $227 ..... 13.7 47 ...... $212 ....... 9.3 136 ...... $193 ..... 11.4 220 ...... $226 ....... 5.7 618 ...... $177 ..... 12.3

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.

16

County

August 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

362 ...... $227 ..... 14.9 64 ...... $232 ..... 13.7 51 ...... $199 ..... 13.0
325 ...... $243 ..... 14.9 145 ...... $179 ..... 16.7
94 ...... $232 ..... 12.2 50 ...... $198 ..... 13.7 44 ...... $201 ..... 13.8 294 ...... $205 ....... 9.8 40 ...... $159 ....... 8.4 161 ...... $180 ....... 7.9
3 ...... $144 ..... 21.1 15 ...... $193 ....... 8.6 25 ...... $192 ..... 11.2 727 ...... $184 ..... 13.0 269 ...... $230 ..... 14.7 13 ...... $200 ..... 10.3 82 ...... $171 ..... 11.5 34 ...... $187 ..... 10.4 299 ...... $189 ..... 13.7 262 ...... $217 ..... 11.2 61 ...... $167 ..... 16.3 162 ...... $148 ..... 11.2 24 ...... $190 ..... 11.2 15 ...... $177 ..... 11.3 43 ...... $192 ..... 11.2 32 ...... $202 ..... 13.9 27 ...... $194 ....... 9.6 58 ...... $164 ....... 8.8 179 ...... $182 ..... 13.0 157 ...... $182 ....... 9.2 147 ...... $202 ..... 10.5 27 ...... $207 ..... 11.0 41 ...... $214 ..... 10.7 418 ...... $199 ....... 9.1 80 ...... $153 ....... 9.6 51 ...... $185 ..... 12.4 42 ...... $220 ..... 13.2 88 ...... $187 ..... 12.1 218 ...... $219 ....... 8.4 319 ...... $216 ..... 13.3 140 ...... $189 ..... 12.9 47 ...... $156 ....... 8.8 77 ...... $153 ..... 13.2 97 ...... $215 ..... 13.1 14 ...... $170 ..... 13.8 15 ...... $204 ..... 10.8 63 ...... $199 ..... 10.8 724 ...... $219 ....... 5.3 24 ...... $158 ....... 7.2 32 ...... $167 ..... 12.9 45 ...... $204 ..... 13.3 82 ...... $196 ..... 12.1

Unemployment Insurance Statistics

Thousand 100
90

Initial claims
2003-- 2004

2003

2004

15000

Benefit exhaustions
Last 12 months

80

70 10000
60

50

40

30

5000

20

10

0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

0

Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug

03

04

Initial claims fall by over 5,000 in August...

Initial claims fell by over 5,000 in August, dropping from 39,760 in July to this month's total of 34,383, a decline of 13.5 percent. For the year, 321,071 separated workers in Georgia have filed an initial claim, down 25.4 percent when compared to the 430,675 filings from January through August of 2003. This month's figure represents a decline of 20.5 percent (8,881 initial claims) when compared to August's 2003 total of 43,264.
Of the 34,383 initial claims filed during the month, 21,726 (63.2%) were for new claims, a drop of 7.6 percent when compared to last year. There were 11,209 additional claims filed in August (32.6% of the initial claims total) a decrease of 39.0 percent when compared to the same month one year ago.
For the second consecutive month, all metropolitan statistical areas saw over-the-year reductions in initial claims filings. The Atlanta MSA accounted for 16,496 filings during August, an over-the-year fall of 34.3 percent. The Savannah MSA experienced the largest percent drop (-69.7%),

plummeting from 2,960 in August 2003 to this August's total of 897.
After two consecutive months of increases, the number of separated workers receiving a benefit check dropped over the month, falling from 65,599 in July to 64,838 in August, a slight dip of 1.2 percent. When compared to last year, this month's figure shrunk by over 17 thousand (-21.2%). Despite the drop off in initial claims and beneficiaries, benefit payments grew in August by 13.1 percent as this month's figure of $52,662,467 was up by more than $6 million over the month. For the year, benefits paid were down by over $6 million (-10.8%).
Benefit exhaustions were up over the month, as August's total of 7,939 grew 6.8 percent when compared to July's number of 7,437. Final payments dropped 7.7 percent over the year. The average duration of benefits, which had locked in at 12.8 weeks for four consecutive months before upping to 12.9 weeks in July, fell back to 12.8 weeks for August. The average number of weeks that laid off workers draw benefits stood at 12.0 weeks one year ago.

Statistical Trends

August 2004

August 2003

Net Change

Percent Change

Initial Claims .............................................................. 34,383 ................................ 43,264 ................................... -8,881 ............................. -20.5%

Continued Weeks Claimed ..................................... 272,167 .............................. 284,432 ................................. -12,265 ............................... -4.3%

Beneficiaries ........................................................... 64,838 ................................ 82,254 ................................. -17,416 ............................. -21.2%

Benefits Paid .................................................. $52,662,467 ....................... $59,022,973 .......................... -$6,360,506 ............................. -10.8%

Weeks Paid ............................................................ 224,921 .............................. 248,935 ................................. -24,014 ............................... -9.6%

First Payments ......................................................... 15,499 ................................ 16,378 ...................................... -879 ............................... -5.4%

Final Payments .......................................................... 1,939 .................................. 8,603 ................................... -6,664 ............................. -77.5%

Average Weekly Benefit ....................................... $234.14 .............................. $237.10 ................................... -$2.96 ............................... -1.2%

Average Duration (weeks) ......................................... 12.8 .................................... 12.0 ........................................ 0.8 ................................. 6.7%

Trust Fund Balance ...................................... $914,411,571 ..................... $877,065,651 ......................... $37,345,920 ................................. 4.3%

17

The 2004 Edition of the Georgia Wage Survey

R

Ju ele

st ase

d

GEORGIA

Wages for more than 700 occupations by
Statewide

MSA

WIA Area

The 2004 Edition
of
Occupational Wages
for
Georgia Statewide
and
Selected Areas
Georgia Department of Labor Workforce Information & Analysis Michael L. Thurmand, Commissioner

Featuring average wages by education/experience levels for
Advanced degree Bachelor's degree Associate's degree Vocational Training Work Experience On-the-job training

Available in printed format or online at
www.dol.state.ga.us/wp/lmi_publications.htm

To obtain a copy to this publication at no charge, please complete and mail this form

Mail to:

If you prefer, you may e-mail your request to esther.mays@dol.state.ga.us or fax to (404) 232-3888
Esther Mays Workforce Information and Analysis Georgia Department of Labor 223 Courtland Street, NE, Suite 300 Atlanta, Georgia 30303-1751

Please send the 2004 Edition of the Georgia Wage Survey to:

Name Company / Agency Address City

State

Zip Code

18

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: 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
Joe Newsome: Occupational employment, forecasts and wages
Jeanette Mains: Occupational Employment Survey
Electronic Delivery
Girmaye Gizaw: 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

The WI&A Customer Satisfaction Team: Committed To Total Customer Satisfaction Through Outstanding Customer Service

Workforce_Info@dol.state.ga.us (404) 232-3875



Upcoming Events
Press Release Dates
September
Unemployment Insurance Claims .............. Oct. 14
Georgia Unemployment Rate/ Non-farmEmployment ......... Oct. 21 Civilian Labor Force/Area Unemployment Rates ......... Oct. 28
October
Unemployment Insurance Claims ............... Nov. 11
Georgia Unemployment Rate/ Non-farmEmployment .......... Nov. 18 Civilian Labor Force/Area Unemployment Rates ......... Nov. 25

Let us hear from you!
Moved (Please provide the correct mailing address below.) Please remove my name from your mailing list. I'm interested in other types of information (please explain).
Name: ____________________________________________________
New Address: ______________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
Comments/Suggestions/Requests: _______________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
Please return this form to: Customer Satisfaction Team, 223 Courtland Street, NE, Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30303; or fax info to (404) 232-3888; or email info to Workforce_Info@dol.state.ga.us
19

Georgia Department of Labor Workforce Information & Analysis 148 Andrew Young International Boulevard, N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30303-1751
Return Service Requested