Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Rome’s unemployment rate spiked in April, breaking all previous all-time highs.

Due to the effects of COVID-19, all MSA’s throughout the state saw a dramatic incline in initial claims along with most major sectors.

 “Although we are seeing all-time high unemployment rates across a majority of the state, we are continuing to work with employers on effective strategies to get Georgians back to work in both a safe and economically efficient way,” said Butler.

In Rome, the unemployment rate increased 9 percentage points in April, reaching 13.5 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.2 percent.

The number of unemployment claims went up by 233 percent in April, which directly correlated with the number of temporary and potentially permanent lay-offs associated with COVID-19. When compared to last April, claims were up by about 2,759 percent.

Rome ended April with 40,000 jobs. That number decreased by 2,100 from March to April and was down by 1,800 when compared to this time last year. 

The labor force decreased in April by 36 and ended the month with 44,399. That number is up 801 when compared to April of 2019.

Rome finished the month with 38,427 employed residents.  That number decreased by 4,030 over the month and is down by 3,755 when compared to the same time a year ago. 

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed about 403 active job postings in metro Rome for April.