State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said that metro Athens set a new record for job growth in November, as employment and labor force numbers grew and unemployment insurance claims declined.

“This is a great jobs report,” Butler said. “All the significant numbers are trending in the right direction. In fact, records are being set. This is further proof of our growing, dynamic economy.”

Metro Athens posted a record-high 100,200 jobs in November, up by 1,100 since October. Most of the job growth came in trade, transportation and warehousing, leisure and hospitality, and the goods-producing sector such as manufacturing and construction.      

Since November 2016, metro Athens has posted 4,600 new jobs, a 4.8 percent growth rate. Over-the-year job growth came in state government, leisure and hospitality, and the goods-producing sector.  

The number of employed residents rose by 650 to 98,444. From November a year ago, the number of employed residents was up by 4,936.    

The area’s labor force, which includes the total number of residents with jobs and those unemployed but looking for work, rose to 102,660, up by 667 in November. The labor force is up by 3,874 since November 2016.

Unemployment claims were down by 13 percent to 271. Claims were down in manufacturing and wholesale trade. When compared to last November, claims were down by 64 percent from 742.

The November unemployment rate, at 4.1 percent, was unchanged from October. The November rate compares favorably to last November when the rate was 5.3 percent.