The national unemployment rate may have slightly dropped last month, but people in Gilmer, Fannin and Pickens counties are hurting. Residents here are out of work and more businesses are closing down. The most recent numbers available from the Georgia Department of Labor are from June and they show an area that is struggling.The unemployment rate in Gilmer alone skyrocketed to 11.5 percent in June. That’s up from 11 percent just a month earlier.

In Fannin, it was only slightly better, if you call 10.5 percent an improvement. The unemployment rate in Pickens County is one of the few in the region that has dropped from 10.3 percent in May to 10.0 in June. However, this number is significantly higher than last June’s 8.7 percent.

The national unemployment rate for July came out Friday with what the pundits tout as an “improvement.” The numbers dipped 0.1 percent, locking in at 9.1 percent overall. Yet, in Gilmer, Fannin, and Pickens Counties’ unemployment rates remain in double digits — and its been there for a while. Gilmer’s unemployment rate skyrocketed to 11.5 percent in June, up from 11.0 in May, and up a firm 10 points from a year ago, when last June’s rate was 10.5.

The unemployment rate in Fannin County also displays an upward trend. It climbed from 10.0 percent in May to 10.5 percent in June. Pickens County, though, shows a mixed bag of hope, but promise that has deteriorated over the past year. The unemployment rate there has dropped from 10.3 percent in May to 10.0 in June. However, this number is still significantly higher than last June’s 8.7 percent.

In June, the national unemployment average was 9.9 percent, barely below the double digit mark, while Georgia’s rate shot up from 9.7 percent in May to 10.5 percent in June. These rates, however, are not seasonably adjusted. Georgia State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said, “The increase was caused primarily by two seasonal factors…There were layoffs among non-contract public school employers, such as bus drivers and janitorial workers, and an increase in the labor force, as students began looking for permanent and part-time jobs.” Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June is 9.9 percent, up a tick from 9.8 percent in May.

Although the unemployment rate for the northwest Georgia region was 10.7 percent in June, local businesses can take comfort in the upcoming festival season, which historically gives a boost to local businesses. Also, RaceTrac and Pulse Medical Inc. are set to soon open shop in Fannin County. Atlanta Gas Light (AGL) just received approval to extend a natural gas pipeline from Ellijay to Blue Ridge, a project expected to lower energy costs for local poultry farmers and draw new business to the area, bringing much needed hope to a limping economy.

Another cause for optimism came from the Governor’s office this week On Tuesday Governor Deal’s office announced that Gilmer County has met Work Ready qualifications. Work Ready, a program started in Georgia by Sonny Purdue and The Chamber of Commerce in 2006, ensures companies match “the right people with the right jobs,” focusing on skills assessment and proficiency-based certification. According to Governor Deal’s office, 592 work ready certificates were earned in Gilmer County and the high school graduation rate climbed from 73.9 percent to 87.9 percent. Each Work Ready County will receive a $10,000 grant, which is expected to boost Gilmer’s economy, showing glimmers of silver lining in an otherwise gray economy.