The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Athens’ unemployment rate for February was 5.7 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from 5.8 percent in January. The rate in February 2014 was 6.5 percent.

The rate declined as employers created more jobs and laid off fewer workers.

The number of jobs increased by 400, or 0.4 percent, to 92,600, or, from 92,200 in January. Most of the job gain came in state government and leisure and hospitality. And, there was an over-the-year gain of 4,100 jobs, or 4.6 percent from 88,500 in February 2014. Most of the job gain came in state government, leisure and hospitality, trade, transportation and warehousing, and professional and business services.  

There were 309, or 42.3 percent, fewer new claims for unemployment insurance filed in February, as the number decreased to 421 from 730 in January. Most of the decrease in claims came in administrative and support services, manufacturing and retail trade. Over the year, claims were down by 87, or 17.1 percent, from 580 filed in February 2014.     

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.1 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 8.1 percent. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for February was 6.3 percent, down from 6.4 percent in January. It was 7.3 percent in February 2014.