The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that Metro Augusta’s unemployment rate in February was 5.3 percent, down six-tenths of a percentage point from 5.9 percent in January. In February 2016, the rate was 5.8 percent.

The rate declined as more people went to work and employers created more jobs and laid off fewer workers.

The number of employed residents increased by 968 to 251,573, as the labor force fell by 825 to 265,516. The labor force consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed, but actively looking for jobs.

The number of jobs increased by 400, or 0.2 percent, to 235,300. Most of the job growth came in education and health services and leisure and hospitality, along with the goods-producing sector, which includes manufacturing and construction.

Over the year, 4,700 jobs were added, a 2 percent growth rate, up from 230,600 in February 2016. Most of the job growth came in the service industries, including leisure and hospitality, education and health services, professional and business services, and trade, transportation and warehousing.  The goods-producing sector added 200 jobs.

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, declined by 1,447, or 54.8 percent, to 1,195. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing and administrative and support services. Over the year, claims were up by 250, or 26.5 percent, from 945 in February 2016.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.1 percent, while the River Valley region had the highest at 6.8 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for February was 5.3 percent, down from 5.5 percent in January. It was also 5.5 percent in February 2016.

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employers. In February, 2,909 new job

openings in Augusta were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 65,461 new job openings were posted.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally-adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at dol.georgia.gov