Unemployment on the Rise in Florida and Georgia
Both Florida and Georgia have seen their unemployment rates climb higher than the national average. The dismal numbers add to an already disappointing economy. Whether you look in the paper or on the Internet--these days a good job is hard to find.
Jeff Wetherington, a Tallahassee resident, "People one or two days a week working...the economy is so bad nobody can build homes."
In Florida, unemployment is at 6.6 percent with more than 600,000 Floridians unable to land a job. And it doesn't help that there are 115,000 less jobs now than in September of last year.
It's the same story in the Peach State--6.5 percent of Georgians were jobless in September--the highest number in 16 years. Workforce Plus is an agency that sees the reality of these bleak numbers and they say there is a new face for unemployment.
Kimberly Moore with Workforce said, "There have always been individuals who are unemployed or in between jobs. I think what probably makes it different at this particular point in time is we're seeing individuals that had held jobs for a number of years and have now found themselves unemployed and in need of assistance."
Residents fortunate enough to have jobs have watched others fall on hard times. Jackie Austin, who works in real estate has had an influx of workers looking to earn money. "Sub contractors come to me and ask me for work. A lot of them used to work on new houses and tile work from everything and their asking me to send them clients and begging for work. So it's really bad and they can't eat." said Austin.
Unemployment in the U.S. is at 6.1 percent while Florida is at 6.6 and Georgia at 6.5.
