Jobless claims rise; rainfall tops three inches

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First-time jobless claims soar in November vs. November 2007

	November	October	November 07	% change
Bartow	1,178	1,060	507	132.3%
Chattooga	121	96	69	75.4%
Floyd	1,405	1,110	731	92.2%
Gordon	1,255	1,022	802	56.5%
Polk	794	457	232	242.2%
State	74,480	72,627	48,150	54.7%

Source: Georgia Department of Labor

First-time jobless claims filed by Northwest Georgians skyrocketed in November when compared to the same month in 2007, the latest state Department of Labor reports show.

>In Floyd County, 1,405 claims were filed compared to 731 a year earlier--a 92.2 percent jump. Compared to October, it was a 26.6 percent increase.

>In Bartow County, claims soared by 132.3 percent or from 507 in November 2007 to 1,178 last month. 

>Polk County saw a huge hike--from 232 to 794 claims, a 242.2 percent increase.

>Gordon County's increase matched the state's average, 56.5 percent.

>Chattooga County rose from 69 in November 2007 to 121 last month.

The state perspective: 74,480 laid-off workers filed first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits in November, an increase of 54.7 percent from November 2007. During the first 11 months of this year, 613,863 initial claims for unemployment insurance have been filed, an increase of 44.1 percent over the 425,942 initial claims filed during the same period last year.

The metropolitan areas with the highest percentage of increase in claims are Dalton, Rome, and Warner Robins. The areas with the smallest increase in claims are Augusta, Albany, and Valdosta.            

"For the past four months, initial claims in Georgia have risen significantly over the previous year," said State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond. "But, temporary hiring during the holiday season should off-set some of the unemployment insurance claims being filed by workers laid off from full-time jobs." 

Almost two-thirds of all initial claims have been filed by laid-off workers in manufacturing, construction, and trade along with administrative and support services, including temporary employment agencies.