The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate for August was 5.7 percent, down four-tenths of a percentage point from 6.1 percent in July. The rate in August 2014 was 7.3 percent.

The rate declined as employers created more jobs and new layoffs, as measured by initial unemployment insurance claims, decreased. 

The number of jobs in Atlanta increased by 4,800, or 0.2 percent, in August to 2,592,200. The job gains came mostly in education and health services, 6,400; local government, 5,100, as local school system employees returned from the summer recess; and construction, 3,100. The monthly job growth was offset somewhat by losses in leisure and hospitality, 4,200 and professional and business services, 3,100. 

Over-the-year, Atlanta gained 66,400 jobs, a growth rate of 2.6 percent, from 2,525,800 in August 2014. Most of the job growth came in professional and business services, 18,500; trade, transportation and warehousing, 16,800; leisure and hospitality, 10,100; education and health services, 9,800; financial activities, 4,800; construction, 7,300; and manufacturing, 2,300. Government lost 800 jobs.  

Also, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined by 3,338, or 20 percent, to 13,363 in August. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing, administrative and support services, wholesale and retail trade, and accommodations and food services. Over the year, claims were down by 1,529, or 10.3 percent, from 14,892 in August 2014.     

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.8 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 7.7 percent.  

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for August was 5.9 percent, down from 6.0 percent in July. It was 7.1 percent in August 2014.