Employment

As already reported here in ABD, June employment in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) fell by 300, the first decline since February. But how did other labor market indicators fare in June? How do earnings in Augusta compare with other cities? The unemployment rate fell to 4% from 4.2% in May. This is the lowest unemployment rate since June last year. The employment level can fall while the unemployment rate also declines because those who lose their jobs are no longer looking for work or took jobs outside the

Last week, I reported employment fell in the first six months of the year, but which industries bucked the trend in the Augusta area? Five industries saw employment rise over the last six months. The biggest increase, maybe surprisingly, was in “other services,” which added 955 jobs. This was closely followed by private education and health care services, which added 886 jobs.  Government jobs were up by over 500, with the gains being equally shared between state and local government. Retail added over 300 jobs, and manufacturing added 100.  Large