Catoosa County's unemployment rate plummeted during November. In November, only 2.1 percent of Catoosa Countians were without jobs, a sig-nificant drop of 1.3 percent from the previous month. In October the rate was 3.4 percent, up from 3.0 percent in September. The county's unemployment rate one year ago, November 1999, was 2.4 percent. The county's unemploy-ment rate has remained significantly lower than the average rate for the Coosa Valley area, which includes 10 counties in northwest Georgia. The Coosa Valley rate was 2.7 percent in November, 3.6 percent in October and 3.1 percent in November 1999. "This record-low unemployment is due largely to the underlying strength of our economy and the hiring of seasonal workers for the holiday shopping season," Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said. "Because of continuing low unemployment and the shortage of skilled workers, some employers are having a difficult time finding enough employees." Catoosa's rate is also lower than the state's. In November, the state's unemployment rate dropped to 2.9 percent, down from 3.7 percent the previous month and 3.4 percent in November 1999. Despite the apparent good news, Thurmond remains concerned about a prolonged slowdown in job growth in Georgia and in the nation, a slowdown that may be masked by the increased hiring of seasonal workers for the holidays