Metro jobless rate up in August

Another 6,100 metro Atlantans joined the ranks of the jobless in August as the region's unemployment rate rose to 10.4 percent, the Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday.

The rate was 10.1 percent in July.

In all, 275,215 people across the 28-county region are looking but can’t find a job, according to the Labor Department. August was the 35th consecutive month that Georgia, overall, has exceeded the national unemployment rate which now stands at 9.6 percent.

A year ago, Atlanta had a 10.1 percent jobless rate.

“Georgia’s job market is stagnant and almost one-half of jobless Georgians have been out of work for 27 weeks or longer,” Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said. “Many employers are reluctant to hire because of the costs and risks associated with bringing on new employees.”

Yet the number of payroll jobs increased 14,800 in August, the Labor Department reported. Economists say the private sector will lead any employment or economic recovery.

Jobs were added in warehousing, truck driving, health care, education, restaurant, bookkeeping and laundry. They were lost in construction, administration, manufacturing, wholesale and retail.