Carter Statement on Sharp Increase in Georgia's Joblessness

Press Release

Sen. Jason Carter issued the following statement after the Georgia Department of Labor announced that the state's unemployment rate grew sharply to 7.8 percent in July. This is the third month in a row that the state's unemployment rate has increased, and stands in marked contrast to the rest of the country, where the national unemployment rate has declined to 6.2 percent.

"Gov. Deal is leading Georgia in the wrong direction. On his watch, Georgia now has one of the worst unemployment rates in the country and hundreds of thousands of Georgians can't find work.

"Gov. Deal may think we're at the pinnacle, but it becomes clearer every day that while his economic policies may help his well-connected friends, they're failing Georgia's families and they're failing Georgia's businesses.

"Thousands of workers have just stopped looking for jobs. At the same time, some of our biggest employers are sounding the alarm that they cannot find enough trained workers to fill the jobs they need done.

"Georgia is ready for a new direction. As governor, I'll prioritize investing in our workforce, giving workers the skills they need to get the best jobs and grow our economy."

According to the Department of Labor, Georgia lost more than 12,000 jobs in July, and more than 4,800 people left the workforce. In June, Georgia lost 9,500 jobs, more than any other state. (This month's national ratings are yet to be released.)

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