MARIETTA - Cobb's unemployment rate rose slightly from 9.5 percent in September to 9.6 percent in October, according to preliminary data released this week by the Georgia Department of Labor.

"It is expected that unemployment will increase for at least a few more months," Cobb Board of Commissioners Chairman Sam Olens said.

In October, there were 368,548 people in Cobb's labor force, of which, 35,473 were unemployed. The state labor department defines "unemployed" as someone who is not working but is actively seeking employment.

However, Cobb's unemployment rate continues to be lower than that of metro Atlanta and the state.

In metro Atlanta, unemployment remained unchanged at 10.4 percent from September to October, while Georgia's rate increased from 10.1 percent in September to 10.2 percent in October.

Nationwide, the unemployment rate held at a non-seasonally adjusted rate of 9.5 percent, the same as September.

"This is a jobless recovery," Olens said. "Federal tax cuts instead of higher taxes would be much appreciated ... Tax cuts to stimulate the economy creates jobs - something (President Obama) knows nothing about."

In Cobb, 3,508 people filed first-time claims in October for state unemployment insurance benefits. That's a decrease from the 3,957 people who filed in September, according to the state labor department.

The highest unemployment rate recorded in Cobb was 10.8 percent in January 1976.