Downtown Dalton, Ga.Jobless in May
Tennessee› Franklin County rate rose 0.5 percent to 5.2 percent› Coffee County rate rose 0.5 percent to 5.4 percent› Hamilton County rate rose 0.6 percent to 5.5 percent› Bradley C0unty rate rose 0.6 percent to 5.5 percent› McMinn County rate rose 0.4 percent to 6.4 percent› Sequatchie County rate rose 0.7 percent to 6.6 percent› Polk County rate rose 0.6 percent to 6.7 percent› Marion County rate rose 0.7 percent to 6.8 percent› Grundy County rate rose 0.2 percent to 7.3 percent› Van Buren County rate rose 0.7 percent to 8.1 percent› Rhea County rate rose 0.9 percent to 7.4 percent› Meigs County rate rose 0.6 percent to 7.5 percent› Bledsoe County rate rose 0.8 percent to 7.6 percentGeorgia› Catoosa County rate rose 0.3 percent to 5.1 percent› Dade County rose 0.6 pecent to 5.8 percent› Walker County rose 0.3 percent to 6 percent› Whitfield County declined by 0.2 percent to 6.3 percent› Chattooga County rose 0.3 percent to 6.4 percent› Murray County rose 0.1 percent to 7.4 percentSources: Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Georgia Department of Labor
May metro rates
* Chattanooga, unemployment rose 0.6 percent to 5.7 percent * Cleveland, unemployment rose 0.5 percent to 5.6 percent * Dalton, unemployment fell 0.1 percent to 6.6 percent * Nationwide, unemployment rose 0.2 percent to 5.3 percent Source: Non-seasonally adjusted jobless rates for May, state and federal labor agencies
Unemployment in the Dalton, Ga., area fell last month to its lowest monthly level in eight years as the Carpet Capital added jobs over the past year at nearly double the statewide pace for all of Georgia.
But the jobless rate rose in metro Chattanooga last month as seasonal increases in summertime job seekers swelled the labor market and offset a net gain of 650 jobs in the area during May.
Chattanooga's metro jobless rate rose by six tenths of a percentage point to 5.6 percent. The increase reversed a steady decline in Chattanooga's joblessness so far this year. But most of the increase was because of seasonal factors.
"There are going to be some seasonal fluctuations in some months, but the trend is definitely improving and we expect Tennessee to do at least as well as the country as a whole, if not better, over the next year or so," said Dr. Bill Fox, director of the University of Tennessee's Center for Business and Economic Research.
In Dalton, unemployment in Dalton fell by another tenth of a percentage point last month to 6.6 percent - its lowest rate since June 2008.
Among Georgia's 14 metropolitan areas, Dalton was the only metro area to record a drop in the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate during May.
A year ago, Dalton's unemployment rate was 8.1 percent. The jobless rate has trended lower in Dalton since peaking during the 2009 recession at a record high 14 percent when the housing slump cut carpet output by more than a third.
"It's getting increasingly harder to find enough qualified applicants for all of the openings we have," said Tammy Gross, branch manager for Automation Personnel Services, a staffing company that operates offices in the area in both Dalton and Chattanooga. "As the economy improves and more people are working, the pool of applicants isn't as great as it once was and there are more employees trying to hire more workers."
Manufacturing workers with skills and experience are hardest to find in the current market, said Gross, whose company provides temp-to-hire workers for more than 40 area employers.
"We're conducting six or more job fairs a week in this area and trying to reach out to rural areas and other job markets to get more applicants," Gross said.
HTI Employment Solutions conducted a job fair on Tuesday for an automotive supplier in Chattanooga
paying more than $12 an hour for new workers and attracted about 300 applicants.
Staffing agencies said job fairs allow recruiters to meet job prospects in person and make offers on the spot.
Despite the rise in May's jobless rate in Chattanooga, the region still had lower unemployment than Tennessee as a whole, which reported a 5.7 percent jobless rate last month. Nationwide, the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.3 percent last month.
Chattanooga's employment rose by 9,140 jobs over the past year. The jobless rolls in Chattanooga last month were still 1,340 below the year ago level when unemployment averaged 6.4 percent.
Dalton job fair
The Georgia Department of Labor will conduct a job fair next Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Dalton Career Center to help staffing company Randstad recruit 23 manufacturing workers for several textile plants in Whitfield County.
The staffing company is recruiting twister, lift truck and extrusion operators, along with creelers, assembly-line workers and general laborers. While these are temporary positions, they may lead to permanent employment at the plants once certain requirements are met.
Due to U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, applicants must be at least 18 years old. While previous manufacturing experience varies according to the job, all applicants must have a high school diploma or a General Education Diploma (GED).
Applicants should bring a copy of their resume, or work history, and dress appropriately to improve their chances for employment. Salaries range from $8 to $10.50 an hour and the company will conduct a background check and drug-screening test on selected applicants.