The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate for October was 5.4 percent, its lowest point since 5.4 percent was recorded in November 2005. The rate was down one-tenth of a percentage point from 5.5 percent in September. The rate in October 2014 was 6.5 percent.

The rate declined as Atlanta employers created 32,400 jobs, pushing the total job count up 1.3 percent to 2,628,000. This is largest over-the-month job growth in Atlanta since February 2011, and much stronger than the average September-to-October growth of 22,100 jobs for the last three years. The job gains came mostly in trade, transportation and warehousing, 10,800; professional and business services, 6,800; state and local government, 4,100; leisure and hospitality, 3,200; education and health services, 3,100; manufacturing, 1,900; financial activities, 1,500, and other services, 1,200.  Construction lost 300 jobs.

Over the year, Atlanta gained 88,100 jobs, a growth rate of 3.5 percent, from 2,539,900 in October 2014. Most of the job growth came in professional and business services, 25,500; trade, transportation and warehousing, 18,400; leisure and hospitality, 12,200; education and health services, 9,600; state and local government, 9,300; manufacturing, 6,100; financial activities, 4,700; and construction, 3,200.  Other services lost 500 jobs.

Also, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 1,038, or 8.1 percent, to 13,780 in October. Most of the increase came in construction, administrative and support services, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing. Over the year, claims were down by 2,000, or 12.7 percent, from 15,780 in October 2014.     

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

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for October was 5.7 percent, down from 5.8 percent in September. It was 6.8 percent in October 2014.