Metro Athens Jobless Rate, Lowest in Georgia, Dips Below 5 percent

The unemployment rate in Athens dipped below 5 percent last month, the Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday.

The Metro Athens rate was at 4.9 percent in April, a two-tenths fall from 5.1 in March.

The rate in April 2013 was 5.6 percent.

Metro Athens had the lowest metro jobless rate in the state. the Northeast Georgia region, which includes Athens, had a 5.9 rate in April.

Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 7.0 percent, unchanged from March. The rate was 8.3 percent in April a year ago.

The DOL said the number of jobs in the Athens area increased to 90,400 in April, up by 700, or 0.8 percent, from 89,700 in March. Most of the job gains came in leisure and hospitality, retail trade, and state government.

Also, there were 355 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in April, a drop of 125, or 26 percent, from 480 in March. Most of the decline in claims came in manufacturing, along with real estate, rental and leasing. There were 548 claims filed in April 2013.

Note: Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.employgeorgia.com