On Thursday, January 12, 2023, Bruce Thompson was sworn in as Georgia’s tenth Commissioner of Labor by Governor Brian Kemp. As the administrative head of the Georgia Department of Labor, the labor commissioner is responsible for overseeing Georgia's unemployment insurance program. Commissioner Thompson is eager to get to work for the people of Georgia and intends to revamp the unemployment insurance claims process, while providing high-quality, responsive, and universally accessible services that accommodate customer choice and exceed customer expectations.

"The end of 2022 saw Georgia's December unemployment rate drop five-tenths of a percent lower than the national unemployment rate, pointing to strong economic growth,” said Commissioner Bruce Thompson. “Georgia's red-hot economy evidenced by our state is being recognized for the 9th year in a row as the #1 place to do business. As we begin our new administration, I am excited to see growth in nearly all sectors such as Education, Health Services, and Manufacturing. I am committed to supporting employers across Georgia as they seek to hire."

Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson announced today that Georgia's December unemployment rate was 3 percent, unchanged from a revised 3 percent in November. Additionally, job numbers reached another all-time high, increasing by almost 6,000 from November. Georgia's unemployment rate was five-tenths of a percent lower than the national December 2022 unemployment rate of 3.5 percent. 

Jobs were up 5,900 (0.1%) over the month and up 165,300 (3.5%) over the year to 4,840,000. Job numbers were at an all-time high in Education and Health Services, 638,000, and Financial Activities, 273,900.

The sectors with the most over-the-month job gains included Durable Goods Manufacturing, 4,100, Accommodation and Food Services, 2,800, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, 1,900, Health Care and Social Assistance, 1,900, and Real Estate, Rental, and Leasing, 1,200.

In December, the number of employed residents was down 5,933 to 5,100,239, dropping 35,272 over the past five months. Over the past six months, the labor force has decreased 32,185. December’s labor force decreased by 4,957 to 5,257,271. Over the past three months, the number of unemployed has increased by 8,862. In December, the number of unemployed saw a rise of 976 to 157,032.

In December, there were over 108,000 jobs listed online at EmployGeorgia.com. Market salaries for the jobs listed on Employ Georgia range from $23,000 to $99,500, showing a median salary of $42,400. The top five employers included Wellstar Health System, 1,100, Home Depot, 900, Piedmont Healthcare, 900, Walmart, 900, and Pizza Hut, 600. The top five industries included Health Care, 22,300, Retail Trade, 10,500, Accommodation and Food Services, 9,100, Manufacturing, 7,000, and Finance and Insurance, 6,100. The top five occupations included Health Care (including Nursing), 21,900, Sales, 12,300, Hospitality, Food, and Tourism, 10,900, Business Management and Operations, 8,800, and Information Technology, 8,000.

Initial claims were up 2,403 (9%) from November to 27,921 in December. Over the year, initial claims were up 10,999 (65%).