Pierce County’s estimated unemployment rate declined slightly in November, falling by three tenths of a point to 2.6 percent. The slight decline in November, follows a half point increase in October.
Unemployment rates fell in all regions of the state during November, according to State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler.
“We are seeing job numbers continue to rise across the state as Georgians secure employment,” said Commissioner Butler. “Unemployment rates also dropped in all of our regional commissions in November as we entered the holiday employment period.”
The rates remain near record lows. Pierce County recorded an 8.4 percent unemployment rate in April 2020 at the peak of the shelter in place order caused by the COVID 19 virus and before businesses reopened.
October’s unemployment rate is two tenths of a point higher than the 2.4 percent rate reported during the same month in 2021.
According to Department of Labor statistics, Pierce County has a labor force of 8,539 with 8,314 employed. The number of those listed as unemployed was 225, down by 22 compared to October.
In the Southern Georgia region, the unemployment rate was 3 percent, down three tenths of a percent, an exact reversal of the October rate. A year ago, the rate was 2.8 percent.
In addition to Pierce, the 18-county South Georgia region includes Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Tift, Turner and Ware.
Statewide, the unemployment rate was also 3 percent in November, up one tenth of a point from October and down three tenths of a point from this time last year. Georgia hit a peak of over 9 % in unemployment in April 2020 at the height of the pandemic.
