Unemployment tileUnemployment in metropolitan in Dalton declined by seven-tenths of a percent last month to 10.3 percent - the lowest rate since before the Great Recession unraveled much of the labor market in the Carpet Capital.
The Georgia Department of Labor said today that 200 jobs were added in Whitfield and Murray counties in North Georgia during March, boosting the number of Dalton area workers on the job to 63,100 in March. Dalton's jobless rate was down a full 1.5 percent last month from the 11.8 percent unemployment level of a year earlier.
Most of the job growth in March came in trade, transportation, and warehousing, along with professional and business services.
The number of new layoffs, which were represented by initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits, fell by 375 from 1,479 in February to 1,104 in March. The decreases came mostly in manufacturing, construction, and administrative and support services. And, the number of initial claims was down over-the-year by 140 from 1,244 in March 2012.