The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that the four-county Athens Metropolitan Statistical Area saw record employment gains and month-over-month job growth in April, with an unemployment rate of 2.4%, down five-tenths of a percentage point over the month. A year ago, the rate was 2.5%.

“Georgia has always been a state that rewards hard work, and right now, hard work is paying off in a big way,” said Georgia Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes. “Every single metro area in this state added jobs in April, more Georgians are earning mortgage-paying paychecks, and our workforce is more skilled and competitive than ever. That is what it looks like when Georgia, a Top State for Talent, goes to work.”

The labor force in Athens was down 59 over the month and increased by 3,602 over the year, to 113,484.

Athens finished the month with 110,807 employed residents (an all-time high), up 570 over the month and 3,635 from a year ago. 

Athens ended April with 108,900 jobs, up 600 over the month and 2,400 over the year.

In April, initial unemployment claims were down by 45 over the month and declined by 65 from a year ago, totaling 173.