The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that Metro Hinesville’s unemployment rate for April was 6.2 percent, down 0.3 percentage point from 6.5 percent in March. This is the lowest the rate has been since November 2008, when it was 6.2 percent.

The rate for Metro Hinesville, which consists of Liberty and Long counties, in April 2014 was 7.3 percent. The rate declined as the number of unemployed residents decreased to 1,982, down by 103 from 2,085 in March.

The number of jobs in the metro area was unchanged at 20,000 from March to April. However, there was an over-the-year gain of 300 jobs, or 1.5 percent, from 19,700 in April 2014. Most of the job growth came with the federal government and the goods-producing sector, including manufacturing and construction.

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 28, or 23.9 percent, to 145 in April, up from 117 in March. Most of the increase came in retail trade, professional and technical services, administrative and support services, and accommodations and food services. However, over the year, claims were down by 42, or 22.5 percent, from 187 filed in April 2014. 

In the Coastal Georgia region, which also includes Liberty and Long counties, the unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in April, down 0.3 percentage point from March. This is Coastal Georgia’s lowest unemployment rate since June 2008, when it was 5.4 percent.    

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.7 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha and the River Valley regions had the highest at 7.3 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for April was 6.3 percent, unchanged from March. It was 7.3 percent in April 2014.