ATLANTA – First-time unemployment claims in Georgia declined last week, welcome news after an increase reported the week before.
Jobless Georgians filed 32,381 initial unemployment claims last week, down 6,001 compared to the previous week, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.
Claims had gone the other way the week before, increasing by 4,759 during the first week of April.
Since the coronavirus pandemic broke out in a serious way in Georgia in March of last year, the state has issued more than $20.9 billion in state and federal unemployment benefits.
The labor department has processed nearly 4.7 million first-time jobless claims during that time, more than during the nine years prior to the pandemic combined.
The job sector accounting for the most initial unemployment claims in Georgia last week by far was accommodation and food services with 9,184 claims. The manufacturing job sector was next with 3,366 claims, followed by administrative and support services with 3,058.
More than 230,000 job openings are listed on the website EmployGeorgia. The labor department offers online resources for finding a job, building a resume and assisting with other reemployment needs.