The Columbia County unemployment rate went from 0.9% in October 2023 to 0.8% in October 2024, and the overall county unemployment rate fell 0.5% from 3.1% in October 2023 to 2.6% in October 2024.

Greene County experienced a similar drop in unemployment, from 0.8% in October 2023 to 0.7% in October 2024, with an overall unemployment rate decrease of 0.4%, from 3.8% in October 2023 to 3.4% in October 2024.

The number of people employed in the county decreased by 0.2%, from 29,800 people employed in October 2023 to 29,600 in October 2024, according to the data of the State Ministry of Labour.

The county’s unemployment rate is low, but the labor pool is static, Columbia Economic Development Corporation CEO and President F. Michael Tucker said Tuesday.

“There are still people looking for work, but there are fewer people available for employment,” he said.

Businesses in the county are hiring, but are still struggling to find employees with a smaller workforce, Tucker said.

“When you look at the low unemployment rate in the county, it highlights the fact that businesses of all shapes and sizes are hiring people, but it’s having a negative impact on businesses because they can’t find employees to work for their businesses. he said.

In Greene County, the number of people employed also fell, although the unemployment rate fell.

The county had 19,700 people employed in October 2023, up from 19,300 in October 2024, according to state Labor Department data.

The lower unemployment rate and decline in employment could be due to seasonal workers returning to job opportunities in the county’s mountain areas and the county’s aging population, said James Hannahs, director of economic development for the Greene County Economic Development Corporation. .

“I think it’s a mix of people coming back to work on top of the mountain over the winter and the aging population,” he said.

As county workers retire, that contributes to the decrease in the number of people employed, Hannahs said.

“It’s a mix of the mountain top and our aging population coming out of the workforce and retiring,” he said.