The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Augusta’s unemployment rate for February was 6.7 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 6.9 percent in January. The rate in February 2014 was 7.5 percent.

The rate declined as employers created more jobs and laid off fewer workers.

The number of jobs increased by 1,600, or 0.7 percent, to 227,900 from 226,300 in January. Most of the job gain came in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, state government, education and health services, along with mining, logging and construction.  

There was an over-the-year gain of 7,300 jobs, or 3.3 percent from 220,600 in February 2014. Most of the job gain came in leisure and hospitality, education and health services, trade, transportation and warehousing, and the goods-producing sector, which includes manufacturing, mining, logging, and construction.  

There were 1,075, or 53 percent, fewer new claims for unemployment insurance filed in February, as the number decreased to 955 from 2,030 in January. Most of the decrease in claims came in manufacturing, administrative and support services, trade, transportation and warehousing, and construction. Over the year, claims were down by 924, or 49.2 percent, from 1,879 filed in February 2014.     

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.1 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 8.1 percent. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for February was 6.3 percent, down from 6.4 percent in January. It was 7.3 percent in February 2014.