Signs Point to Manufacturing Making a Come Back Around the Region

Though its doors, there are positive signs for the local job market, especially in manufacturing.

Jeff Timler, vice president of , has put out a call for after noting that the company is finally getting busy again. In fact, employees can even expect some overtime. Last week, in Between, Ga. Was looking for experienced crews in construction and there several large manufacturing expansions expected in nearby communities. In February, announced the building of a large manufacturing facility in Oconee County with a and the Wall Street Journal is reporting that . That, too, is expected to create about 1,500 full time positions in Georgia. There is also the likelihood of another announcement in manufacturing jobs in Gwinnett County.

While the unemployment numbers on a national scale appear to be taking a turn in the wrong direction, those announced April 19 by the Georgia Department of Labor appear to support the local trend. GDOL Commissioner Mark Butler reports that Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined again in March for the eighth consecutive month. It is now 9.0 percent, the lowest rate since Feb. 2009 when it was 8.9 percent.

“Georgia’s unemployment rate continues to trend downward,” Butler said in a press release, “And it’s important to recognize that it’s done so as the number of people in the labor force steadily increased. This indicates a growing optimism among unemployed workers that they will be able to land a job. In fact, Georgia employers have created 35,600 jobs in the past year."

The number of jobs in Georgia increased by 13,900 from February to March, most in professional and business, trade and transportation and education and health services. However, 5,900 were in manufacturing.

“I’m also encouraged that the number of new lay-offs continues to decline, reaching the lowest level since March four years ago,” Butler said.

The number of first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits was down by 3,650 or 7.9 percent in March, most of the decrease from manufacturing.