Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Valdosta saw an increase in the labor force and jobs in August.

"Although we are seeing fewer unemployed individuals now than before the pandemic started, we are also still seeing a decreased total number of people in the workforce when compared to numbers recorded prior to the pandemic,” said Commissioner Mark Butler. “This will continue to cause a hiring crunch until we can attract more people back to the workforce to fill the record number of job openings.”

In Valdosta, the unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percent to 3.1 in August. A year ago, the rate was 6.1 percent.

The labor force increased in Valdosta by 196 and ended the month at 65,331. That number is up 3,652 when compared to August of 2020.

Valdosta finished the month with 63,311 employed residents.  That number increased by 157 over the month and is up by 5,386 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Valdosta ended August with 56,700 jobs. That number was up 400 over the month and increased by 2,400 when compared to this time last year. 

The number of unemployment claims went down by 17 percent in Valdosta in August. When compared to last August, claims were down by about 84 percent.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed about 748 active job postings in August for Valdosta.

Visit dol.georgia.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia, and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers and to connect with us on social media.

TABLES AND GRAPHS REFLECTING LABOR MARKET DATA ARE AVAILABLE AT  https://dol.georgia.gov/current-labor-force-data-and-graphs

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