The Georgia Department of Labor has announced that metro Dalton's unemployment rate dropped to 8.2 percent in April, down four-tenths of a percentage point from 8.6 percent in March.

The rate was 10.3 percent in April a year ago.

The rate declined because Metro Dalton employers created more jobs and laid off fewer workers, GDOL said.

Georgia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 7 percent, unchanged from March. The rate was 8.3 percent in April a year ago.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted.