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Areas jobless rate holds
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ATLANTA — Mark Butler announced Thursday that the preliminary unemployment rate in metro Hinesville was unchanged at 8.6 percent from March to April. The jobless rate in metro Hinesville in April a year ago was 8.4 percent.

Metro Athens had the state’s lowest area rate at 6.5 percent, while metro Dalton had the highest at 11.4 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined for the ninth consecutive month in April to 8.9 percent, the first time in more than three years the rate has dropped below 9 percent. The rate fell 0.1 percent from 9.0 percent in March. The jobless rate was 9.8 percent in April a year ago.

Statewide, the rate declined as the number of new jobs grew by 31,900 to 3,926,000, the highest number of jobs in Georgia since January 2009. Job growth is up 0.8 percent from 3,894,100 in March. In April a year ago, there were 3,904,400 jobs.

The industries showing growth were: trade and transportation, 9,200; leisure and hospitality, 9,200; professional and business services, 5,900; construction, 3,400; and education and health care, 2,700. While the state gained jobs overall, state and local governments shed 3,300 jobs.

Local area unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.state.ga.us

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