The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that Metro Athens’ unemployment rate in February was 4.8 percent, down four-tenths of a percentage point from 5.2 percent in January. In February 2016, the rate was 5 percent.

The rate declined as more people went to work, employers created more jobs and laid off fewer workers and the labor force grew.  

The number of employed residents increased by 1,341 to 93,716, as the labor force grew by 1,032 to 98,468. The labor force consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed, but actively looking for jobs.

The number of jobs increased by 1,300, or 1.4 percent, to 94,900. The job growth came in state government and the goods-producing sector, which includes manufacturing and construction.

Over the year, 2,000 jobs were added, a 2.2 percent growth rate, up from 92,900 in February 2016. Most of the job growth came in state government, along with the service industries, which includes trade, transportation and warehousing, leisure and hospitality and professional and business services. The goods-producing sector also added 200 jobs.

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, declined by 401, or 56.8 percent, to 305. Most of the decrease came in administrative and support services, trade, transportation and warehousing, and manufacturing and construction.  Over the year, claims were down by 69, or 18.4 percent, from 374 in February 2016.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.1 percent, while the River Valley region had the highest at 6.8 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for February was 5.3 percent, down from 5.5 percent in January. It was also 5.5 percent in February 2016.

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employers. In February, 1,207 new job openings in Athens were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 65,461 new job openings were posted.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally-adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at dol.georgia.gov