Georgia Leads Nation in Jobless Jump Under Perdue
RNC embarrasses Perdue with press release
Democratic Party of Georgia

The job picture in Georgia under Gov. Sonny Perdue is the worst in the nation. Over the past year, the ranks of jobless in Georgia grew by 34,500 people – more than any other state. The Georgia unemployment rate jumped the most in the nation as well, an increase of 0.7 points. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Data comparison between June 2004 and June 2005 (from “Table 3– Civilian labor force and unemployment by state and selected areas, seasonally adjusted)

On Friday, the Republican National Committee (RNC) abandoned a lagging Gov. Perdue by issuing a press release touting national economic gains. While the RNC claims that the national economy is doing well, Gov. Perdue is hoping that Georgians do not notice that their economy is far worse than it has been in recent Georgia history. For this first time since 1989, the unemployment rate in Georgia is higher than the national rate. Georgia’s unemployment rate is now higher than it has been since 1994. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Georgia]

“Georgia job prospects continue to be bleak under Gov. Perdue, and we are now lagging the nation in job growth,” said Bobby Kahn, Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia. “The best jobs program for Georgia will be Gov. Perdue losing his.”

Under Democratic leadership, Georgia became an economic powerhouse, fueled by our job growth. Under Gov. Perdue, the business climate in the state has become less appealing for new companies or new growth. While other Southern states like Alabama, Florida, and Texas are among the national leaders in shrinking unemployment rolls, Georgia continues to wallow in economic misery.