News that Congress may be ready to end the federal government shutdown came too late for 18 Georgia Department of Labor staffers furloughed Monday.

Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said most of his agency’s funding comes from the federal government, and that he warned staffers about the impact Friday.

Butler said 18 staffers who do statistical reporting for the Georgia DOL were furloughed starting Monday. They are the workers who compile and report unemployment data, among other things.

If the shutdown had lasted, Butler said, department staffers whose sole mission is to help veterans get jobs would have been next to be furloughed. Butler said the agency had federal funding to pay those staffers through the end of the month.

The January 20th, 2018 edition of Georgia Legislative Week in Review with Mark Neisse, Maya Prabhu and the Phrase of the Week by James Salzer. Video by Bob Andres / bandres@ajc.com

About the Author

Keep Reading

Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

Credit: NYT

Featured

In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com