January 21, 2022–6:16 p.m.
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
First-time claims for unemployment insurance were up slightly last month, but they are still down dramatically from what we saw in December of 2020.
According to the Georgia Department of Labor, Floyd County reported 160 claims in December, up from 117 in November. There were 1,749 in December of last year.
Initial claims for unemployment in Bartow County also increased from 136 to 182 over the month, but still down from 2,650 this time last year.
Gordon County reported 99 claims in December, up from 83 in November, but down from 1,529 in December of 2020.
Chattooga County was up from 41 to 42 over the month, but down from 150 over the year.
Polk County had 61 claims in December, up from 47 in November, but down from 711 in December of last year.
Despite the increase in jobless claims, the Rome area gained another 200 jobs over the month, and we are up by 1,000 when compared to this time last year.