Fayette County’s unemployment rate has not been immune from the recent lumps of the economy.

Fayette’s unemployment jumped from 4.4 percent in January 2008 to an estimated 7 percent in January of this year, according to the most recent data from the Georgia Department of Labor.

Numbers-wise, Fayette went from 2,365 unemployed people in January 2008 to 3,694 jobless in January 2009.

Percentage-wise, that’s a jump of 56 percent in the local jobless rate.

By comparison, Fayette’s 7 percent unemployment in January is the best among metro Atlanta counties. Neighboring Coweta County’s unemployment rate is 8.1 percent, with Fulton County at 8.8 percent, Clayton County at 10.3 percent, DeKalb County at 8.5 percent, Cobb at 7.8 percent, Gwinnett at 7.9 percent, Rockdale at 10 percent and Douglas at 9.6 percent.

Companies are hiring in Fayette County, but many of the jobs are blue-collar and traditionally have attracted residents from outside Fayette, said Matt Forshee, CEO of the Fayette County Development Authority.

Most of the county’s residents head elsewhere to more white-collar-type jobs elsewhere in metro Atlanta, Forshee said. The authority, which works on attracting companies here, is actively seeking businesses that will hire Fayette residents, Forshee said.

One example of a Fayette company hiring is NCR, which announced in December it would hire 610 people as it creates a worldwide customer service headquarters here.

The development authority’s website, Fayettega.org, has a job listing that is by far the most popular section of the site based on the amount of “hits” received, Forshee said. But, again, many of the people searching that jobs section are from outside Fayette County, he added.

Forshee said he thinks the state’s unemployment spike is “very much tied to the national economy,” and while Fayette has seen an increase in unemployment the county is faring better than others.

Forshee noted that several bills under consideration by the Georgia legislature are aimed at making the state more attractive for new businesses and relocating businesses. One such bill would remove the state’s inventory tax. Another is aimed at revamping how the state provides economic tax incentives to lure companies here.

Such changes would help Fayette County by helping convince more companies to consider locating here, Forshee said.