WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. Labor Department reports that Georgia has the highest unemployment rate in the country.<br /> <br /> The jobless rate in the state is 8.1 percent, which was first reported by the Georgia Department of Labor Thursday. (See second link below.) It's the first time Georgia has had the highest rate since the Great Recession ended.<br /> <br /> The new rate immediately became a political issue between Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, and his Democratic opponent in this year's gubernatorial race, Jason Carter. A Deal campaign spokesman questioned the statistics collected by the federal government that determine unemployment rate. Carter responded by saying Deal is making excuses to cover the state's fundamental problems. (See separate story. First link below.)<br /> <br /> The U.S. Labor Department says jobless rates rose in nearly half of the country in August, even as employers in two-thirds of the states added jobs.<br /> <br /> It says unemployment increased in 24 states, fell in 15 and was unchanged in 11. Hiring picked up in 35 states, while it fell in 15.<br /> <br /> Unemployment rates can rise even when hiring increases if more people start looking for work and don't immediately find jobs. The figures suggest hiring was broad-based across most regions of the country last month, even as nationwide job gains in August were the weakest this year.<br /> <br /> The unemployment rate in Georgia is 8.1 percent which was first reported by the Georgia Department of Labor Thursday. It's the first time Georgia has had the highest rate since the Great Recession ended.<br /> <br /> (AccessNorthGa.com's Ken Stanford contributed to this story.)