ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Labor says the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to a record 10.4 percent in January, and Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond says the job crisis is getting worse.
The rate tops the previous record of 10.3 percent set in December. It's also up 2 percentage points from the 8.4 percent at this same time last year.
Thurmond says he's concerned that thousands of pending state government layoffs will do additional damage to Georgia's private job market.
The metropolitan areas with the highest percentage of job losses during the same period are Dalton, down 4.3 percent; Valdosta, down 4.2 percent; and Atlanta, down 4 percent.
Warner Robins saw no decrease for the month, and Augusta lost 0.4 percent.