Despite the pandemic – or perhaps because of it – unemployment across Northwest Georgia fell last month to the lowest level so far in 2020.
With the housing boom propelling residential floorcovering sales, the Carpet Capital in Dalton recorded its lowest jobless rate in 11 months last month as carpet mills boosted production of residential carpets, rugs and other floorings to try to keep pace with the market shifts as more people work and stay at home. The Georgia Department of Labor said Friday that the jobless rate in metro Dalton declined during October to 4.3%, dropping below the 4.6% rate in the same month a year ago.
“Our manufacturers which are our biggest employers are doing well and are hiring now,” said Rob Bradham, president of the Dalton//Whitfield County Chamber of Commerce. “As a matter of fact, most of them are having trouble finding enough qualified workers to fill the available jobs. We’re in the same position that we were a year or two ago with not enough local labor to support our manufacturers.”
Unemployment in the Dalton area has fallen steadily since reaching a record high of 19.8% in April when the coronavirus pandemic initially forced the closings of many carpet mills, restaurants and theaters. Metro Dalton, which includes Whitfield and Murray counties, added 6,528 jobs in the past six months as the economy rebounded from the lockdown of much of the economy this spring.
The number of Dalton workers with jobs is still down by 1,880 from a year ago as the region continues to recover from the worst economic slowdown this spring since the Great Depression nearly a century ago. The pandemic caused many workers to lose their jobs or forced other workers to stay at home to care for their children or to limit their chances of catching the virus. As a result, the size of Dalton’s labor force last month was down by 3.3% from a year ago with 2,091 fewer workers either on the job or looking for work.