GEORGIA — According to the Department of Labor (DOL), Georgia’s unemployment rate is down for the first time in 12 months.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson announced on Wednesday Georgia’s January unemployment rate was 3.1, the first drop in over a year.

That rate was at 3.2 percent for each month during 2023.

Thompson said Georgia’s workers and employers are “thriving.”

“With low unemployment and a competitive job market, Georgia’s workers and employers are thriving together,” said Thompson. “Fostering innovation, investing in skills, diversifying our economy, and supporting businesses, especially sectors experiencing hiring and labor challenges, ensures Georgia will remain a hub of opportunity and prosperity for all.”

According to stats from the DOL, the sectors with the most over-the-month job gains included:

• Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, 2,700
• Local Government, 2,300
• Accommodation and Food Services, 2,200
• Real Estate, Rental, and Leasing, 2,100
• Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation, 1,000

The DOL stats also showed that jobs were down in:

• Transportation and Warehousing, primarily in General Freight Trucking, -8,500
• Health Care and Social Assistance, -1,400
• Durable Goods Manufacturing, -1,100

The most over-the-year job gains included:

• Health Care and Social Assistance, 24,000
• Accommodation and Food Services, 12,000
• Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, 11,200
• Local Government, 11,000
• Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation, 8,400

Jobs were down in:

• Information, which includes Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries, -19,600
• Transportation and Warehousing, -17,200
• Administrative and Support Services, -15,600

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