The state of Georgia ended the year on a positive note, adding nearly 10,000 jobs in December as the state’s jobs engine continued to churn.
Georgia added 60,000 jobs in 2024, compared to about 68,700 in 2023. Inflation, which had been a brake on the economy, improved throughout the year.
Louis DeBroux, the interim leader for the Georgia Department of Labor, said the state’s jobless rate continues to be better than the national average, and he credited Georgia’s business climate.
The figures show “the strength of our economy, the determination and resilience of our workforce and the relentless drive of Georgia’s businesses,” DeBroux said in a written statement.
Here’s a rundown of what the jobs report shows:
What was Georgia’s unemployment rate in December?
The unemployment rate in the state was 3.7% in December. That’s unchanged from November, when the unemployment rate ticked up from 3.6% in October.
Georgia’s December unemployment rate was also lower than the national unemployment rate of 4.1%.
Georgia’s jobless rate was a revised 3.2% in December a year ago.
The number of initial unemployment claims increased to 31,046 in December. That’s higher than November and up by 6,244 compared to last December.
How many jobs were there in Georgia in December?
The total number of jobs reached 4,994,900 in December, an all-time high and up by 9,900 since November. But the labor force declined to 5,408,929 in December, the first time such a drop has occurred in more than three years.
That’s one of the factors that kept the unemployment rate the same. The jobless rate does not include people who are not actively seeking a job, and sometimes people drop out of the labor force entirely.
What industries had the biggest job growth in December?
The largest job gains for the month came in:
- Health care and social assistance: 5,500
- Information (which includes the motion picture and sound recording industries): 3,300
- Retail: 2,900
- Accommodation and food services: 2,200
- Arts, entertainment and recreation: 1,000
The number of jobs in leisure and hospitality, private education and health services reached an all-time high, the labor department said.
What industries had the largest declines in jobs in December?
The largest job losses came in:
- Manufacturing: -3,200
- Local government: -1,500
- Transportation and warehousing: -900
- Professional, scientific and technical services: -600
Which sectors had the most job gains in 2024?
The largest job gains for 2024 as a whole came in two areas that also had the most growth in December: health care and social assistance (32,800), and accommodation and food services (15,300).
Three other sectors had big job gains over the course of 2024:
- Local government: 10,200
- Professional, scientific and technical services: 6,100
- Federal government: 4,200
Which sectors had the largest job declines in 2024?
The sectors that had the biggest declines in jobs in 2024 included some that also saw job losses in December, including manufacturing (-5,100), as well as transportation and warehousing (-1,400).
Two other areas also saw large job declines in 2024, including:
- Administrative and support services: -8,800
- Wholesale trade: -4,400
Source: Georgia Department of Labor
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