ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the preliminary unemployment rate in metro Albany declined to 9.3 percent in October, down one-tenth of a percentage point from 9.4 percent in September. The rate was 10.4 percent in October 2011. The rate for Southwest Georgia declined to 8.9 percent, also a one-tenth of a percentage point drop.

The rate declined because the number of unemployed people dropped by 80, to 6,856 from 6,936 in September.

Metro Athens continued to have the lowest area jobless rate at 6.2 percent, while metro Dalton had the highest at 11.3 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 8.7 percent in October, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 9.0 percent in September. The jobless rate was 9.7 percent in October a year ago.

Statewide, there were 3,971,700 jobs in October, up 36,000, or nine-tenths of a percentage point, from 3,935,700 in September. Over the year, Georgia gained 68,000 jobs, or 1.7 percent, from 3,903,700 in October 2011.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.state.ga.us

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