Augusta metro unemployment rate at 10 percent

More jobless job seekers push rate higher

By Tim Rausch
Business Editor
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 7:30 AM
Last updated 9:29 AM
  • Comments (9)
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    More people in the Augusta metro area were looking for jobs in January and a large portion of them didn't find work.

    As a result, the unemployment rate for the six-county metro area rose to 10.0 percent in January, up from a revised 9.3 percent in December, the Georgia Department of Labor reported this morning.

    The number of unemployed workers in the area increased to 26,104, up 1,991 from 24,113 in December.

    This comes off a spike of people seeking initial unemployment benefits in December and January.

    The number of people seeking jobs also went up. The labor department added 3,524 to the labor force in January, which now sits at 261,555 people. 

    For Georgia, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 10.4 percent in January, topping the previous record high of 10.3 percent reported in December. This marks the 28th consecutive month that Georgia has exceeded the national seasonally adjusted rate, which was 9.7 percent.

    For South Carolina, the rate increased to 12.6 percent, up from 12.4 percent in December, the South Carolina Employment Security Commission reported this morning.

    The annual benchmarking and revision process conducted by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics resulted in the state's December rate being revised downward from 12.6 percent to 12.4 percent.

    The federal revision is the reason the January numbers were released later than normally scheduled.

    Locally, all six counties experienced an increase in the unemployment rate.

    County-by-county breakdown:

    Burke: 11.3 percent in January, up from 11.0 percent in December

    Columbia: 7.3 percent in January, up from 6.7 percent in December

    McDuffie: 12.1 percent in January, up from 11.6 percent in December

    Richmond: 10.4 percent in January, up from 9.6 percent in December

    Aiken: 10.7 percent in January, up from 10.4 percent in December

    Edgefield: 12.3 percent in January, up from 11.5 percent in December

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    Comments

    themaninthemirror
    themaninthemirror
    Wednesday, Mar. 10 8:37 AM

    While it may be true that the economy started it's downward spiral during the last year of the Bush administration, it will not head back up until the current administration is out of office. Those that were disillusioned with the Bush administration and the Republican in general, went hog wild in putting the current Socialist minded president in office. I think a lot of those voters now realize the foolishness of their decision. Obama has no intentions of doing what is right for the American people. He has demonstrated this by his current health care reform debacle. There are some in Congress that will follow Obama straight to the ration lines, but thankfully there are some that have come to their senses and realized that there is still an American citizenry that put them in office. George Bush will not go down in the history books as one of the greatest presidents of history, but at least, at the start of his presidency, he did have the American citizen in mind.

    deekster
    deekster
    Wednesday, Mar. 10 9:39 AM

    Jenkins County 26% plus. What about Jefferson, Warren, McCormick, Bambberg, Allendale.....? What about the entire Greater Central Savannah ARC MegTropolis of 550,000? Pick and chose. Shuffle the numbers. Leave some off one month, add them back the next. Sheriff Strength said it best, "statistics can be made to mean anything". "Give me one data point and I can extrapolate to infinity".

    Nat the Cat
    Nat the Cat
    Wednesday, Mar. 10 9:50 AM

    Well Said-Man! But please don't sell Bush short too soon. One never knows how history will look at the fact that we were not attacked again after Bush improved our intelligence and Home Land Security, even during the first year of Socialism...........
    Wait, I forgot about the recent Barryobama Boxer Bomb on the Aircraft last month, but I don't think that counts since the man just burned his alls off.

    deekster
    deekster
    Wednesday, Mar. 10 9:40 AM

    Mucho trabajar in Augusta. Viva Augusta!!!!

    Emerydan
    Emerydan
    Wednesday, Mar. 10 9:51 AM

    Yep Countyman.. the economy of Augusta is just BOOMING!!

    Chillen
    Chillen
    Wednesday, Mar. 10 9:56 AM

    My teenager just went out last week and found a job. It's not one that most adults would bend over backwards to get, but its still a job. I have friends whose teens have also recently been hired.

    People are hiring, you just have to be willing to work for them- even if it means lowering your "standards" a little. But, as long as the govt keeps extending unemployment benefits, why bother?

    Riverman1
    Riverman1
    Wednesday, Mar. 10 10:30 AM

    Even though manufacturing and other jobs have disappeared, jobs appear to be out there in agriculture. Maybe it's time to retool our thinking.

    Riverman1
    Riverman1
    Wednesday, Mar. 10 10:44 AM

    Columbia County has the least unemployment around here. From the other story, it beats every county in SC. I wonder if it is the lowest in GA?

    countyman
    countyman
    Wednesday, Mar. 10 8:30 PM

    Judge metro Augusta % versus other cities.. Enough said..

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