Newton County’s unemployment rate decreased for the second consecutive month to 8.4% in June — above the state average but below the national average, Georgia's labor commissioner said Thursday, July 30.

Mark Butler, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Labor, said that due to the effects of COVID-19, all regions and counties continue to see stinted yearly growth but monthly gains in nearly all major sectors are beginning to spike. 

“June continued to show positive growth across all regions and counties,” Butler said. “We saw almost all major indicators head in the right direction but continue to work to support Georgia businesses and get Georgians back to work.” 

In Newton County, the unemployment rate decreased in June to 8.4%, a decrease of 1.6% from May and 4.1% from April. 

A year ago, the rate was 4.3 percent.

The labor force increased in June by 598 to 50,140 Newton County residents. That number is down by 2,044 from the total from June 2019.

Newton County ended June with 45,912 employed residents which was up by 1,311 compared to May but down 4,024 from June 2019.

Initial claims for unemployment decreased by 30% in June.

By comparison, the statewide unemployment rate decreased in June to 7.6%, which was 3.5% lower than the national rate of 11.1%.  

June 2020 statewide labor statistics also revealed over-the-month increases for the labor force, employment, and jobs.

“June was the first month to show positive numbers in all major indicators since the pandemic started,” Butler said. 

“Although it is nice to see the pendulum move in the right direction, we are not naïve to the fact that we may see another tick up in claims over the next few months. We will continue to work unemployment claims both new and continued to ensure all Georgians are being taken care of during these unprecedented times.”

The unemployment rate decreased by 1.8 percentage points in June, to reach 7.6 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.5 percent.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com, showed 346 active job postings in Newton County for June.