The Georgia Department of Labor has announced that Georgia's seasonally adjusted jobless rate dropped to 7.1 percent in February, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 7.3 percent in January. The rate was 8.5 percent in February a year ago.
"This is the eighth month in a row that Georgia's unemployment rate has declined," state Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said. "The rate dropped in February because Georgia employers created nearly 7,000 new jobs and reduced the number of new layoffs more than 30 percent."
"We're seeing a lot of good news across most sectors, but probably the one we're the most excited about is construction," Butler said. "The one-month growth rate is 2.3 percent and over the year it's 6.6 percent, which is outpacing all other sectors."