ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia’s Clayton County saw one of the sharpest drops in employment nationwide in the year ended June 30, a new report from the U.S. Labor Department shows, likely reflecting reduced employment at Atlanta’s airport, airlines and associated businesses.
Employers in Clayton County cut 20% of workers from payrolls during the 12-month period, the report released Wednesday shows, and almost 10% of workers in just the three months ended June 30. The numbers measure how many workers employed in a county have a job no matter where the workers live. They don’t measure employment among residents.
The counties that saw the sharpest drops nationwide are places where tourism or oil drilling are the leading industries, including counties that host Atlantic City, New Jersey; Maui, Hawaii; and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Jobs have rebounded somewhat since June in Georgia.
Every large county measured nationwide saw overall employment drop. In metro Atlanta, employment fell 10.3% in Fulton County, 8.8% in Cobb County, 7.2% in DeKalb County, 6.7% in Gwinnett County and 4.6% in Forsyth County.
In other parts of the state, payrolls fell 9.5% in Savannah and Chatham County, 6% in Columbus-Muscogee County, 6% in Augusta-Richmond County, 5.8% in Macon-Bibb County and 3.7% in Gainesville and Hall County.
In most places, average wages rose because the lowest-paid workers were laid off, the report said. With higher-paid workers more likely to keep their jobs, averages went up.
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