In this Monday, Oct. 6, 2014 photo, Jonathan Alsina, 25, of Miami, fills out paperwork before being interviewed during a job fair at Fontainebleau Miami Beach in Miami Beach, Fla. The Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims for the week of Oct. 27 on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) February unemployment
Tennessee: * Franklin County, 5.7 percent, down 0.7 percent * Hamilton County, 5.9 percent, down 0.7 percent * Bradley County, 5.9 percent, down 0.7 percent * Coffee County, 5.9 percent, down 0.8 percent * Sequatchie County, 7 percent, down 0.9 percent * McMinn County, 7.2 percent, down 0.8 percent * Marion County, 7.3 percent, down 0.7 percent * Polk County, 7.8 percent, down 0.7 percent * Rhea County, 8 percent, down 0.8 percent * Meigs County, 8.7 percent, down 0.9 percent * Bledsoe County, 8.6 percent, down 0.8 percent * Grundy County, 8.7 percent, down 1.3 percent Georgia: * Catoosa County, 5.5 percent, down 0.3 percent * Dade County, 5.7 percent, down 0.2 percent * Walker County, 6.3 percent, down 0.1 percent * Whitfield County, 6.7 percent, down 0.9 percent * Chattooga County, 6.9 percent, up 0.2 percent * Murray County, 8.3 percent, down 0.4 percent Sources: Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and Georgia Department of Labor
Unemployment dropped last month across the Chattanooga region to one of the lowest levels in seven years.
The jobless rate in the six-county metropolitan Chattanooga area fell to 6 percent in February, a full percentage point below the comparable, non-seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 7 percent for the United States as a whole.
Even metro Dalton, Ga. -- one of the nation's hardest hit areas during the Great Recession -- showed a major drop in unemployment. Dalton's 7.1 percent jobless rate in February was down 0.8 percent from January but still above the U.S. and statewide averages. Dalton had the lowest unemployment rate last month since the summer of 2008.
"We're seeing consistent, steady growth in hiring across most industries," University of Tennessee Economist Bill Fox said.
Northwest Georgia employers continue to hire workers this month.
A job fair is planned today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Chattooga county Civic Center in Summerville to help hire 80 workers for the GE Roper plant in Lafayette. Another job fair scheduled similar hours on Monday at the Dalton Career Center on Chattanooga Avenue to hire workers for additions at Mattex, Town and Country, DisplayCraft, and NPC South Inc.
Across Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia, unemployment during February fell in all but one of 18 counties.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development said the jobless rate in Hamilton County during February declined seven-tenths of a percentage point to 5.9 percent in Hamilton County. With the exception of December 2014 when unemployment dipped to 5.7 percent in Hamilton County, last month's jobless rate was the lowest since the summer of 2008.
In the 6-county Chattanooga area, unemployment fell six-tenths of a percentage point last month to 6 percent.
Among Tennessee's major metro areas, Nashville had the lowest rate at 5 percent while Memphis had the highest rate at 7 percent. In metro Cleveland, unemployment dropped by 0.7 percentage points to 6.1 percent last month.
Another labor department report released Thursday suggested the improving job market is continuing in March. The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week while activity in the services sector hit a six-month high in March, underscoring the economy's solid fundamentals despite a recent softening in growth.
"The good news is that claims and the services sector data suggest the economy has gained some momentum heading into the second quarter," said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody's Analytics in West Chester, Penn.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 282,000 for the week ended March 21, the Labor Department said. That was the lowest level since mid-February and was better than economists' expectations for a dip to 290,000.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfree press.com or 757-6340.