The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Athens’ unemployment rate for October was 5.4 percent, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 5.7 percent in September. The rate in October of last year was also 5.7 percent. 

The rate fell as Metro Athens added 800 jobs in October. The total number of jobs increased to 91,900, up from 91,100, or 0.9 percent, from September. Much of the job gain came in state and local government, including the public schools, professional and business services, and wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, which are the job sectors associated with holiday hiring.    

There was also an over-the-year gain of 400 jobs, or 0.4 percent, from 91,500 in October 2013. The gains came in state and local government, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality and retail trade.  

Also, there were 476 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in October, an increase of 58, or 13.9 percent, from 418 in September. Most of the increase in claims came in administrative services and manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 69, or 12.7 percent, from 545 filed in October 2013.     

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.4 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 9.3 percent. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for October was 7.7 percent, down from 7.9 percent in September. It was 7.8 percent in October 2013. Georgia added 33,800 new jobs in October and 96,000 since October 2013, pushing its job total to 4,166,400, the largest number since May of 2008.