First-time state unemployment claims up 17 percent in September

By Kristi E. Swartz

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

More than 66,610 laid-off workers filed claims for state unemployment insurance benefits for the first time last month, the Georgia Department of Labor said Thursday morning.

The number of claims is a 17.6 percent increase from September 2008, the labor department said. But the claims dropped slightly from August of this year, when 69,869  first-time claims were filed, the GDOL said.

The number of jobless workers receiving state unemployment benefits soared 58.8 percent in September --  139,900 up from 88,121 in September 2008,  GDOL figures show.

Metro Atlanta leads the state in the number of laid-off workers filing for unemployment insurance benefits for the first time in September, according to figures released Thursday morning. More than 31,150 first-time claims were filed in September, a 26.9 percent increase from 24,553 claims filed in September 2008.

The metro areas of Augusta, Athens and Macon followed in the largest increase in year-over-year claims for September. Dalton, on the other hand, saw a sharp decrease in the number of first-time claims filed. More than 2,290 claims were filed in September, a 34.4 percent decrease from the 3,499 claims filed a year ago.

Also, the average length of time laid-off workers in the state drew on unemployment insurance benefits increased to 14 weeks in September, from 11.8 weeks the same time a year ago, GDOL said.

"This is a strong reminder that we must increase our efforts to help unemployed Georgians find new jobs or careers," State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said in a statement.

Thurmond said he thinks federal, state and local governments must invest in more public-sector resources, which will help small businesses create jobs.

Thurmond told Congress in April that the $220 million Georgia received in additional unemployment insurance money saved the state from having to raise unemployment taxes on employers by about 45 percent. The additional boost, part of the federal stimulus package, increased the amount of time workers can draw unemployment, placed an additional $25 a week in unemployment checks and let part-time workers apply for benefits.

The state's unemployment trust fund continues to deplete, however. Thurmond told a state legislative committee in July that Georgia had $593 million in a trust fund for unemployment benefits. Last December, that account held $1.1 billion, he said.

But he assured lawmakers that unemployment benefit checks will continue to keep coming regardless of what's in that account.