(97.5 GLORY FM/SRN NEWS/REUTERS)
First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Hall County rose by nine percent in January compared to December and they were up 0.3 percent compared to a year earlier. (February figures were not immediately available.)
Statewide, applications increased 11.1 percent compared to December but were down 7.6% from January 2024.
In the 12-county Georgia Mountains Region, which includes Hall County, claims were up 7.2 percent for the month versus a decrease of 15.5 percent a year ago.
To check data for each county in Georgia, click here Georgia LaborMarket Explorer (ga.gov), then click on “Claims” and “more.”
Meanwhile, nationwide, the number of people filing new applications for unemployment benefits posted the largest increase in five months last week, but the underlying trend in claims remained consistent with a steadily slowing labor market.
The larger-than-expected rise in initial claims reported by the Labor Department on Thursday was likely the result of snowstorms in many parts of the country. The data also included the Presidents’ Day holiday, which could have injected some volatility. There were no signs yet that mass layoffs of federal government employees were boosting claims, though that could change in the coming weeks as more workers are fired.
“Extreme winter weather was chiefly responsible for the pickup in initial claims last week,” said Samuel Tombs, chief U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits jumped 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 242,000 for the week ended February 22. The increase was the biggest since last October.