The unemployment rate in Valdosta increased for the month of January compared to a year ago despite a rise in labor force.

Release:

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Valdosta recorded an unemployment rate of 3.3 percent, up four-tenths of a percent over the month. A year ago, the rate was 5.1 percent. Despite this, Valdosta saw a rise in the labor force and the number of employed for the month of January.

“Even though we continue to see Georgia’s workforce be successfully employed in record-breaking numbers, there is still much more work to do as we continue to see hundreds of thousands of jobs needed to be filled,” said Commissioner Mark Butler.

The labor force increased in Valdosta by 298 and ended the month with 64,309. That number is down 1,475 when compared to January of 2021.

Valdosta finished the month with 62,169 employed residents. That number increased by 26 over the month and is down by 251 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Valdosta ended January with 55,800 jobs. That number decreased by 700 from December to January and is up by 700 when compared to this time last year.

The number of unemployment claims went up by 58 percent in Valdosta in January. When compared to last January, claims were down by about 86 percent.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed about 460 active job postings in Valdosta for January.

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

NEWS MEDIA NEEDING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY EMAIL kersha.cartwright@gdol.ga.gov

THERE WILL BE NO AUDIO OR VIDEO RECORDINGS THIS MONTH.