Jobs. Where are They?

The Georgia Department of Labor (DOL) recently released the current unemployment rates across the state of Georgia, and Coffee County’s unemployment rate increased to 18%. South Georgia as a whole saw its unemployment rate decrease, despite the increase in Coffee County.

Coffee’s unemployment rate is well above the state average, which is currently at 10.5%. Last year at this time, Coffee County’s unemployment rate was at 11.9%.

According to DOL statistics, Coffee’s labor force totals 15,852. There are 13,003 of these workers employed and 2,849 who are not. Last year at this time, Coffee’s work force totaled 16,381. Of those, 14,424 were employed and 1,957 were not.

Coffee’s 18% unemployment rate is the fifth highest in the state, according to the Georgia DOL. Only Hancock County (22%), Jenkins County (21.6%), Atkinson County (19.8), and Warren County (19.5%) have higher unemployment rates that Coffee County.

The DOL did announce that unemployment rates for south Georgia as a whole did decrease from last month to this month from 12.2% to 10.3%.

Other area unemployment rates are: Ben Hill County, 16.7%; Irwin County, 16.3%; Bacon County 11.8%; Jeff Davis County, 15.5%; Berrien County, 13.5%; Ware County, 11.8%; Telfair County, 14.6%; and Tift County, 12.6%.