Metro Atlanta's unemployment rate ticked down to 9.7 percent in April, one-tenth of a point south of the number for March, the Georgia Department of Labor said Thursday.
The region added 16,400 new jobs in April, mostly in leisure and hospitality and professional and business services, the department said. Unemployment in metro Atlanta was also 9.7 percent in April 2010.
Construction job losses continue. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta was down 7,300 jobs, or 8 percent of the workforce, in April from the same month of 2010, the Associated General Contractors of America, an industry group, also said Thursday. The construction losses were among the highest in the nation for cities.
Brian Turmail, a spokesman for the contractors group, said that, with the exception of Texas, sunbelt states have been hit hardest because their economies relied on development related to population growth.
"When the housing market collapsed and the economy fell off, everything went belly up," he said.
The metro region's rate drop tracked with last week's announcement that the state rate fell to 9.9 percent in April, down from 10 percent in March.
Of the five core counties, Clayton had the highest rate at 11.8 percent, followed by Fulton at 10 percent, DeKalb at 9.9 percent, Cobb at 9.1 percent and Gwinnett at 8.7 percent. The city of Atlanta posted a 10.6 percent jobless rate.
Economist Tim Mescon said that in a slow recovery, little improvements such as seasonal hiring at movie theaters or attractions come as relief.
"It's gratifying to know that the needle is moving in the right direction," said Mescon, also president of Columbus State University. "It's very important to acknowledge the small successes."
--Henry Unger contributed to this report
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