The Georgia Department of Labor announced that Georgia’s unemployment rate for January 2026 held steady at 3.5 percent, unchanged from a revised 3.5 percent in December and below the national unemployment rate by 0.8 percentage point. The state’s unemployment rate was 3.4 percent one year ago.
“Georgia continues to lead as one of the nation’s Top States for Talent,” said Bárbara Rivera Holmes. “With record highs in both our labor force and employment, more Georgians are stepping into mortgage-paying jobs and opportunity, while employers continue choosing Georgia to grow and succeed. This is the advantage of a state that’s built for jobs, powered by talent, and focused on what comes next.”
Total jobs in Georgia increased by 1,200 in January to 4,984,300, marking a gain of 9,300 over the past 12 months. After three consecutive months of job losses from August through October 2025, the state has now added jobs for three straight months.
The construction sector reached an all-time high with 237,500 jobs, while health care and social assistance also hit a record with 636,000 jobs.
Industries with the largest job gains in January included retail trade, up 2,200; health care and social assistance, up 2,100; construction, up 1,300; transportation, warehousing and utilities, up 1,200; and accommodation and food services, up 800. Job losses were reported in administrative and support services, down 2,200; wholesale trade, down 1,200; durable goods manufacturing, down 900; federal government, down 800; and private educational services, down 600.
Over the past year, the biggest job gains were seen in health care and social assistance, up 22,200; construction, up 5,700; local government, up 4,400; and state government, up 1,300. Arts, entertainment and recreation, real estate and rental and leasing, and accommodation and food services each added 900 jobs. Job losses over the year were led by federal government, down 12,500; wholesale trade, down 4,100; information, down 4,000; transportation, warehousing and utilities, down 2,300; and retail trade, down 1,400.
Georgia’s labor force rose by 4,210 in January to a record 5,445,612, an increase of 32,092 over the past year. Employment also reached a record high, increasing by 1,827 to 5,252,878, up 23,810 over the past 12 months.
The number of unemployed Georgians increased by 2,383 in January to 192,734 and was up 8,282 compared to a year ago. Initial unemployment claims rose by 1,052 over the month to 27,703 but were down 6,791 over the year.
