United States: The Commerce Department announced  that the U.S. economy added  201,000 jobs in in August and unemployment remained at 3.9%.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits  hitting its lowest level in nearly 49 years during the first week of September.  Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 204,000 for the week ended Sept. 8, the lowest level since December 1969, the Labor Department reported.

Alabama: In August, 2,112,274  people in the state were employed, which is an increase over the month of July when only 2,105,577 people were counted as employed. It’s also an increase over August 2017. Despite increased employment, however, the unemployment rate is higher when compared to the same month a year ago. Alabama’s August unemployment rate was 4.1%, unchanged from July’s rate and slightly above the August 2017 rate of 4%. August’s rate represents 91,211 unemployed people. That’s compared to 86,383 in the same month a year ago and 90,928 in the previous month.

Arkansas: Labor force data, produced by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and released by the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, show Arkansas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined one-tenth of a percentage point, from 3.7% in July to 3.6% in August. Arkansas’ civilian labor force decreased 1,693, a result of 1,419 fewer unemployed and 274 less employed Arkansans.

Connecticut: Effective October 1, 2018 Connecticut is raising it’s unemployment weekly benefit amount from $613 to $631.

Georgia: The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) has announced dramatic changes that are going to affect the way employers  receive  unemployment tax rates  and  file quarterly tax and wage reports.

• Effective January 2019, Annual UI Tax Rate Notices will no longer be mailed. UI Tax Rate Notices will only be available on the GDOL Employer Portal. If you have questions as to how this affects you as a CCC client, please contact your CCC Tax Manager.
• Effective immediately, Quarterly Tax and Wage Reports containing invalid social security numbers (SSNs) will not be accepted. All quarterly reports must contain complete and valid tax and wage information. Incomplete reports or reports containing invalid SSNs will be returned. Delinquency fees will apply if the reports are not successfully submitted by the report due date. If you need assistance, call 404.232.3245 or email EmployerPortal@gdol.ga.gov.

Indiana: Indiana’s unemployment rate ticked up for the 3rd month in a row last month, rising from 3.4% in July to 3.5% in August.

Louisiana: Louisiana’s unemployment rate hit 5% in August, worsening for the 5th straight month. The state’s jobless rate rose from 4.9%  in July and was above August 2017’s level, also 4.9%. For the 3rd month in a row, Louisiana saw the number of people with a job declined faster than a shrinking workforce, pushing the number of unemployed people up to nearly 107,000.

Maine: The Maine Department of Labor says the rate of 3.2% is up from 3% in July. The unemployment rate was 3.4% in August 2017. The Department of Labor says the unemployment rate has been less than 4% for 33 straight months, which is a state record.

Michigan: Michigan’s unemployment rate fell by two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.1% in August. Figures released by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget show Michigan’s jobless rate was two-tenths of a percentage point higher than the national rate of 3.9% in August and five-tenths of a percentage point lower than the state’s August 2017 rate of 4.6%. The agency further indicates the number of unemployed fell by 11,000.

North Carolina: As a result of Hurricane Florence that took place during beginning September 7, 2018, a presidential declaration of disaster was put into effect September 15, 2018 for Beaufort, Brunswick, Carteret, Craven, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, and Pender counties. Read CCC’s bulletin for full details.

The unemployment rate in North Carolina fell two-tenths of a point to 3.9% in August, according to the report released by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Oklahoma: Oklahoma’s unemployment rate fell to 3.7% in August from 3.8%  in July and 4.2% for August 2017, according to a report the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.

Oregon: The state’s jobless rate fell slightly in August to 3.8%, according to the Oregon Employment Department. It’s a modest decline, 0.1 percentage points, but set a new mark for Oregon’s lowest unemployment since at least 1976.

Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.1 percent for August 2018, the lowest rate since July 2000. Over the year, the Pennsylvania unemployment rate declined by seven-tenths of a percentage point.

Rhode Island: Rhode Island’s unemployment rate decreased for the 4th consecutive month to 4.0% in August, but the number of jobs in the state fell by 2,400. The state Department of Labor and Training says the rate was one-tenth of a percentage point lower than in July.

Utah: Utah added an estimated 54,700 jobs over the past year, a 3.7% year-over-year growth rate that ranks as the fastest among the 50 states. The state’s unemployment rate remained at 3.1% in August, unchanged from the previous month, according to the figures, released as part of a new job market report from the Utah Department of Workforce Services. The state had an estimated 1.52 million total jobs in August, with approximately 49,800 Utahns unemployed and actively looking for work.

Washington: Washington state’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.5% in August,  the lowest rate for August since 1976, according to a report released by the Employment Security Department. The report says the state’s economy added 9,100 jobs in August as the unemployment rate dropped from 4.6% in July.

West Virginia: West Virginia’s unemployment rate declined by one-tenth of a point in August to 5.3%. The number of unemployed residents fell by 800 individuals to 41,300. Total unemployment, however, is up 800 people compared to August 2017.

Wisconsin: Wisconsin’s monthly unemployment rate increased to 3% in August after fluctuating below that level during the past six months. The monthly index had fallen below 3% in February for the first time since record keeping began and has fluctuated between 2.8 and  2.9%t since then. Until this year, the state’s record-low unemployment rate was 3% in 1999.

If you have questions regarding any of the workforce solutions CCC provides please contact us at 800.207.6926 or contact@corporatecostcontrol.com..