Georgia’s unemployment rate fell to 6.3 percent in February — its lowest level since July 2008 — from 6.4 percent in January, as employers stepped up their hiring, the state labor department said Thursday.
“We hit a historical high for jobs in Georgia this February,” state Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said in a statement. “Our over-the-year job growth was the most we’ve had since the height of the Atlanta Summer Olympics in July 1996.”
Georgia had 4,245,800 jobs in February — an increase of 25,400 from January.
The growth came in wholesale and retail trade — 6,600 new jobs; leisure and hospitality — 6,300; education and health services — 4,200; professional and business services — 3,600; construction— 2,800; state and local government — 2,600; and information services — 2,000. There were small losses in some other sectors.
Since last February, Georgia employers added 157,400 jobs, bringing the unemployment rate down from 7.3 percent a year ago.
Every job sector grew over the year, the labor department said.
Trade, transportation and warehousing added 37,000 new jobs; leisure and hospitality — 29,900; professional and business services — 29,400; education and health services — 21,500; and construction — 6,000.
Also, employers laid off fewer workers in February. The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined 48.8 percent to total 29,291 in February. And claims for unemployment benefits were down 27.4 percent from February 2014.
Georgia still trails the U.S. unemployment rate, which fell to 5.5 percent in February.
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