Employment

The good news is the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) didn’t see any overall job loss. The bad news is the drop in local, state, and federal jobs in our region. Overall, employment was flat at 253,700, although some sectors saw large job losses. The biggest job losses were seen in the government sector. Local government shed 425 workers in August. State employment fell by almost 300, and the federal sector lost 100 jobs. Even private education and health services lost 225 jobs. Mining, logging, and construction (MLC) and manufacturing both

The Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) unemployment rate dipped below 4% in July. At 3.9%, this is the lowest unemployment rate since March 2024. With just 39 of 1,000 unemployed, it may cause higher pay and benefits for those looking for work. While good news, the 3.9% unemployment rate is still the highest of all MSAs in the state of Georgia (Albany, Columbus, and Macon also have 3.9%). The overall unemployment rate in Georgia is 3.3%, and Gainesville has the lowest at 2.7%. Athens, Brunswick, and Savannah have rates below

As foreshadowed by the decline in the Augusta Leading Economic Index last week, employment in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area fell in July. Just not by much. No industry saw large job gains in July. Education and health services and professional and business services both saw employment increase by about 100. Retail lost 250 jobs, and government shed 300 jobs, spread over local and state employment. Other services lost 140 jobs. All other industries had job gains or losses of fewer than 60 jobs. This month is a good illustration