Unemployment continues to improve across the north Georgia region and officials believe the busy holiday shopping season will bring even lower rates in the coming months.

"I'm expecting the unemployment rate will continue to show good signs through the end of the year as most of the retail establishments at the outlet mall and at places like Walmart are looking to prudently hire for the holiday season," said Charlie Auvernmann, executive director of the Development Authority of Dawson County.

The Georgia Department of Labor announced last week that the unemployment rate in the Georgia Mountains regions, which includes Dawson County, decreased from 7.1 to 6.9 percent in July.

Dawson County's rate improved slightly from 6.8 to 6.6 percent.

Auvermann said studies show that consumer confidence is also higher than it has been in recent years, which could account for more spending and retailers hiring more workers to accommodate the additional selling.

"With the beginning of the holiday season, the forecasts are showing that the economy is going to be pretty good ... certainly better than it was during the recession," he said.

While he could not outline the number of seasonal positions that will be filled locally, he did say most of the new jobs will be part time in retail and at restaurants.