The Georgia Department of Labor announced that Metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate in April was 4.5 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from 4.6 percent in March. In April 2016, the rate was 4.8 percent.

The rate declined as employers created more jobs and reduced the number of new layoffs. Also, there was a small decrease in the labor force.

The number of jobs in Metro Atlanta increased by 9,200, or 0.3 percent, to 2,739,500. The job growth came in leisure and hospitality, 4,400; other services such as repair and maintenance, 2,800; and professional and business services, 2,500. Construction lost 1,000 jobs.

Over-the-year, a total of 87,200 jobs were added, a 3.3 percent growth rate, up from 2,652,300 in April 2016. Job growth came in all employment sectors: professional and business services, 27,500; trade, transportation and warehousing, 12,800; leisure and hospitality, 11,700; education and health services, 10,200; financial activities, 7,600; construction, 6,800; government, 5,300; other services, 2,300; information services, 1,900; and manufacturing, 1,000.

Throughout 2017, Atlanta has been in the top five of the nation’s 395 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in net job growth.

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, declined by 618, or 5.1 percent, to 11,429. Most of the decrease came in construction, retail trade and health care and social assistance. Over the year, claims were down by 1,151, or 9.1 percent, from 12,580 in April 2016.

Between March and April, the labor force, which consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed and actively looking for jobs, declined by 4,706 to 3,007,831. As the labor force decreased, so did the numbers of employed and unemployed residents. There were 1,447 fewer employed and 3,259 fewer unemployed residents.

However, compared to April a year ago, the labor force had a net increase of 96,137, the number of employed grew by 101,321, and there were 5,184 fewer unemployed.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 3.9 percent, while the Heart of Georgia and River Valley region had the highest at 5.9 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for April was 5 percent, down from 5.1 percent in March. It was 5.4 percent in April 2016.

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use GDOL’s online job listing service employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees. In April, 51,537 new job openings in Atlanta were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 75,183 new job openings were posted.