In a somewhat mixed coda to a surprisingly upbeat year, Metro Atlanta shed jobs in December, but still finished the year with a historically low unemployment rate and growth of 72,000 jobs, the state Labor Department said Thursday.
The region shed 6,200 jobs during the month with gains in some sectors offset by losses elsewhere.
That followed robust hiring earlier in the holiday season, so the region’s growth for the full year was greater than pre-pandemic, despite a chorus of economists predicting recession in the face of high interest rates and persistent inflation.
It was “a blockbuster year,” said Bruce Thompson, the state Labor Commissioner.
The unemployment rate slid from 3.1% in November to 2.8%, in hailing distance of the record pre-pandemic low of 2.6%. The number of unemployed — out of work and actively seeking a position — was 7,424 fewer than in December 2022, according to the Labor Department.
But even so, the economic headwinds were having an impact, slowing hiring from the breakneck pace of the previous two years.
