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.
But floorcovering companies like Mohawk Industries and appliance makers like Roper continue to hire and look for more workers to meet higher sales spurred by more Americans focusing on their homes and replacing more carpet and appliances this year.
Unemployment in Northwest Georgia
The jobless rate in October fell across Northwest Georgia below the statewide jobless rate of 4,5% in six of the seven area counties and was well below the comparable U.S. unemployment rate of 6.6% in the entire region. Unemployment in October was:* 2.4% in Catoosa County, down from 3.5% in September* 2.4% in Dade County, down from 3.1% in September* 2.4% in Fannin County, down from 3.3% in September* 2.8% in Walker County, down from 3.9% in September* 3.2% in Gordon County, down from 4.2% in September* 4.2% in Whitfield County, down from 4.9% in September* 4.6% in Chattooga County, down from 6.5% in SeptemberSource: Georgia Department of Labor
At Mohawk Industries, the world's biggest floorcovering company, CEO Jeff Lorberbaum said "demand for our products exceeded our production, and inventory declined by about $80 million, as we ramped up plants across the world" during the third quarter of 2020).
"Our increase in manufacturing in the period was limited by challenges with hiring, training and capacity," Lorberbaum said.
In Lafayette, Georgia, GE Appliances is preparing to add another 100 jobs at its 2,000-employee Roper plant, which makes ovens and stoves. Roper is undergoing a $43 million expansion of its cooking products line.
Among Georgia's 14 metro cities, only Dalton and Warner Robbins reported lower jobless rates last month than a year ago although the state showed job gains across all areas of Georgia.
"In October, every metro area saw unemployment rates dramatically decrease, including some areas that dropped to pre-pandemic numbers, demonstrating how strong our economy was across the state prior to the crisis and how we are successfully recovering," Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said in the newest jobs report released Friday. "We have a significant number of jobs available on EmployGeorgia from all parts of the state for those looking for new career opportunities. Filling these jobs will be critical for continuing the growth we need to progress economically."
Employ Georgia, the GDOL's online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed about 1,177 active job postings in metro Dalton for October.
Unemployment was also near historic lows last month in the Northwest Georgia counties of Catoosa and Dade, which tied for the second-lowest jobless rate of any of Georgia's 159 counties during October, trailing only Oconee County which reported a 2.2% jobless rate last month.
Although unemployment fell across most of Georgia during October, the jobless rates rose across the border in Southeast Tennessee where unemployment reversed a 5-month decline and rose last month.
Historically, the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment falls even more during November and December, but 2020 is shaping up as a much different year amid the pandemic.
Georgia reported Friday an increase in new jobless claims filed last week, a signal that the state's economic recovery may face more speed bumps as COVID-19 cases rise.
The Georgia Department of Labor processed 29,088 initial jobless claims for the week ending Nov. 21, up 48% from the previous week. That reversed a five-week trend of improvement in new jobless claims, although the latest tally remained much lower than earlier during the pandemic.
Georgia's performance mirrored the rise in new jobless claims on a national level, where 778,000 people applied for unemployment benefits last week, a 4% increase from a week earlier.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6340.