Federal government shutdown to have limited impact on Georgia Department of Labor services

 ATLANTA — The federal government shutdown is expected to have limited impact on the Georgia Department of Labor’s (GDOL) ability to serve the public.

 All GDOL career centers will maintain their normal operating schedule of Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All customers are encouraged to keep appointments with GDOL staff and attend all workshops for which they are scheduled.

 The shutdown will not affect the payments of regular state unemployment insurance (UI) benefits or federal Emergency Unemployment Insurance Compensation (EUC). While a large number of federal employees might file claims for UI benefits during the closure, most of the claims are expected to be filed online and not result in large crowds at career centers.

 However, because of the shutdown of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (USDOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the GDOL’s Division of Workforce Statistics and Economic Research will be unable to publish new labor force data during the shutdown.

 All states are required to submit their newly produced labor force data to BLS for its approval before it can be published. If the shutdown continues, the release of Georgia’s state and local area unemployment rates could be delayed.