Stephens Co. Unemployment Drops in Nov.

Figures from the Georgia Department of Labor show that Stephens County’s unemployment rate took another drop in the month of November.

According to those numbers, Stephens County had a preliminary unemployment rate for November of 5.8 percent.

That is down from the revised October rate of 6.0 percent and the revised rate for November 2014 of 6.9 percent.

A look at November’s state labor department figures also shows that the labor force increased slightly in Stephens County, as did the number of people who are listed as employed.

In November, Stephens County’s labor force was 10,701 and the number of employed was 10,082. Those are up from October’s numbers, when the labor force was 10,636 and there were 10,002 employed.

Stephens County’s labor force and number of employed are still down when compared to November 2014, when the labor force was 11,104 and the number of employed was 10,335.

November’s figures in Stephens County mirror the trend of the Georgia Mountains region, which saw a 4.4 percent unemployment rate for November.

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said that puts the regional unemployment rate at its lowest rate since April 2008.

“We actually saw the amount of people increasing when it comes to the labor force, which is always good to see individuals go back into the labor force and look for work,” said Butler. “We also saw a fairly large increase in the number of people who are employed, as that number was over 2,500 more employed in November as opposed to October. Overall, a very good month for the Georgia Mountains region.”

Looking at other area counties, Franklin County’s preliminary November unemployment rate dropped three-tenths of a percentage point to 5.4 percent; Habersham County saw its preliminary unemployment rate drop seven-tenths of a percentage point in November to 4.6 percent; and Banks County’s November preliminary unemployment rate was down six-tenths of a percentage point to 4.6 percent.