Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Bartow County’s unemployment rate spiked in April, reaching an all-time high.

Due to the effects of COVID-19, all regions and counties throughout the state saw a dramatic incline in initial claims along with the unemployment rate.

“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 Bartow County, the unemployment rate increased in April to 14.8 percent, an increase of 10.5 percentage points. A year ago, the rate was 2.9 percent.   

The number of unemployment claims dramatically increased by 329 percent in April due to COVID-19 lay-offs. When compared to last April, claims were up by about 9,078 percent.

The labor force decreased in April by 1,909. The April total was 49,179. That number is down by 694 from the total from April 2018.

Bartow County ended April with 41,920 employed residents.  The number decreased by 6,992 in April and was down 6,489 as compared to last year.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 354 active job postings in Bartow County for April.