ATLANTA — Unemployment rates are starting to fall across Georgia as residents find jobs, the Georgia Department of Labor said, but some areas still saw job losses.
Still, Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson said that all of Georgia’s regions reported decreased unemployment in September.
“This fall, unemployment rates are dropping all across Georgia,” Thompson said. “While some metro areas throughout the state have seen a slight dip in jobs, the overall increase in employment shows that more residents are finding work and contributing to our local economies. I will continue to fight for the resources our citizens need to thrive and ensure that Georgia’s economy remains competitive and the No. 1 place to do business for years to come.”
For the Atlanta area, unemployment fell 0.6% from August to September, reaching 3.4%.
However, it was still higher than last year’s 3.1% in September.
According to GDOL, Atlanta’s workforce rose by almost 11,200, hitting more than 2.7 million.
Of that number, more than 2.6 million Georgians had jobs, according to the state.
For the Atlanta region, there were 43,000 jobs added in the past year but 600 were lost in the past month.
The industries with the biggest job gains in Atlanta were in state government, health care and social assistance, specialty trade contractors, administrative and support services and retail trade.
Jobs were lost in professional, scientific and technical services, information including the motion picture and sound recording industries, local government wholesale trade and finance and insurance.
GDOL said jobs were at all-time highs in private education and health services, government and construction.