The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Augusta’s unemployment rate for October was 6.3 percent, unchanged from September. The rate in October 2014 was 7 percent.

While the rate was unchanged, Augusta employers created more jobs and laid off fewer workers, as measured by initial claims for unemployment insurance. The number of jobs in Augusta increased by 1,100, or 0.5 percent, in October to 231,500. The job gains came mostly in professional and business services, state and local government and retail trade.    

Over the year, Augusta gained 3,700 jobs, a growth rate of 1.6 percent, from 227,800 in October 2014. Most of the job growth came in education and health services, leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, state and local government, retail trade, transportation and warehousing.

Also, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined by 11, or 0.9 percent, to 1,148 in October. Most of the decrease came in wholesale and retail trade and manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 198, or 14.7 percent, from 1,346 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.