Jobs In Atlanta Lost

In January of this year Atlanta was ranked as one of the top cities for job group in the nation by Forbes magazine. Using various economic indicators, experts predicted that the metro area would create enough employment opportunities to earn it the fourth spot on the list. Despite the positive forecast, jobs in Atlanta are now being lost and unemployment is one the rise.

During the month of September unemployment in Metro Atlanta rose from 6.2 percent in August to 6.5 percent, accordingly to Georgia’s Department of Labor. This figure has yet to be adjusted for seasonal variations in employment, but the area currently has a jobless rate 0.4 percent higher than the national average.

Between August and September, employers cut 17,200 jobs in Atlanta. Over the last 12 months the metro area has lost somewhere around 33,600 positions. This means that Septembers loss was drastic, accounting for over half of the jobs lost over the course of the last year.

Throughout the nation there were 478,000 new individuals claiming unemployment benefits. According to the experts, an addition of more than 400,000 jobseekers unable to find work means that the labor market is week. The reports have shown figures have been this high since sometime during July.

September’s increase in unemployment in the Atlanta metro area was also significantly higher than the city experienced last year at the same time. There were approximately 44 percent more residents requiring benefits that there was during September of 2007.

According to Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, problems with the Atlanta job market and employment throughout the country started in construction, but has spread to include the manufacturing and trade and services sectors.

Currently Georgia is ranked as the second in the nation for job losses.

Despite the lost jobs, the Georgia Department of Labor says that they have a list of more than 4,000 positions that need to filled. The list can be found, along with help in filling for unemployment benefits, at any of the Departments 53 Career Centers.