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Ga. jobless rate drops to 8.7 percent
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ATLANTA — Georgia’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.7 percent in October, down from 9 percent in September, labor officials said. That compares to a jobless rate of 9.7 percent a year ago, according to new figures announced Thursday by the Georgia Department of Labor.

A total of 36,000 new jobs were added, the largest September-to-October job increase ever, Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said.

The state’s labor force also continued to increase, climbing to 4.79 million in October. That represents a gain of 17,438 workers since September.

“Our labor force has grown consistently over the past year, indicating that Georgians are more optimistic about finding a job, and fortunately, we’ve had the job growth necessary to put these people to work,” Butler said.

The unemployment figures come as Georgia economists issued their forecasts for the coming months, which suggest continued sluggishness next year followed by strong growth in 2014.

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