Cobb Unemployment: 7.8% in Jan.

Cobb's unemployment rate rose from 7.6 percent in December 2012 to 7.8 percent in January 2013, according to new figures from the Georgia Department of Labor.

The rise in Cobb mirrors an uptick in metro Atlanta, where the unemployment rate rose from 8.4 percent in December to 8.7 percent in January.

The Labor Department attributes the increase to a loss of seasonal jobs and an increase in new layoffs. While there were 2,392,000 jobs in December, there were 2,362,900 million jobs remaining in January.

As a result, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits rose from 21,912 in December to 31,663 in January.

Most of the claims were filed in construction, manufacturing, trade, transportation and warehousing, administrative and support services, and accommodations and food services, the Labor Department said.

The good news?

• This time last year, Cobb's unemployment rate was a full percentage point higher. And in metro Atlanta, the unemployment rate stood at 9.4 percent.
• There were more jobs at the start of 2013 than the beginning of 2012, when there were 2,299,500 jobs.

Metro Athens had the lowest unemployment rate at 6.6 percent, while metro Dalton and the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region tied for the highest at 11.9 percent.

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