The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate for January was 5.2 percent, up four-tenths of a percentage point from 4.8 percent in December. The rate in January 2015 was 6.2 percent.

The rate rose as the number of jobs decreased and the number of new layoffs, as measured by unemployment insurance claims, increased. Much of the job loss and increase in claims is due to seasonal hiring for temporary jobs and the layoffs that follow it.

The number of jobs decreased by 36,200, or 1.4 percent, to 2,607,600, from 2,643,800 in December. Most of the decrease came in trade, transportation and warehousing, 16,500; education and health services, 5,200; leisure and hospitality, 4,800; and professional and business services, 3,500. Accounting, tax preparation and bookkeeping added 3,500 jobs.  

However, over the year, Atlanta had a strong gain of 88,400 jobs, a 3.5 percent growth rate, up from 2,519,200 in January 2015. Most of the job gains came in professional and business services, 23,200, or 5 percent; trade, transportation and warehousing, 18,500, or 3.3 percent; leisure and hospitality, 17,700, or 7 percent; construction, 7,600, or 7.4 percent; education and health services, 5,600, or 1.8 percent; manufacturing, 5,400, or 3.5 percent; other services, 3,500, or 3.7 percent; financial activities, 3,200, or 2 percent; government, 3,000, or .9 percent; and information services, 600, or .7 percent. 

Also, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 4,402, or 26.2 percent, to 21,224 in January. Most of the increase came in manufacturing, trade, transportation and warehousing, along with administrative and support services and construction. However, over the year, claims were down by 1,629, or 7.1 percent, from 22,853 in January 2015.      

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.5 percent, while Metro Dalton had the highest at 7.2 percent. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for January was 5.4 percent, down from 5.5 percent in December. It was 6.3 percent in January 2015.