The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Valdosta’s unemployment rate for October was 7.2 percent, down four-tenths of a percentage point from 7.6 percent in September. The rate in October of last year was also 7.6 percent. 

The rate fell as Metro Valdosta added 600 jobs in October. The total number of jobs increased to 54,700, up from 54,100, or 1.1 percent, from September. Much of the job gain came in trade, transportation and warehousing, which are the job sectors associated with holiday hiring, state government, including the public schools, and the goods-producing sector, which includes manufacturing and construction.  

There was also an over-the-year gain of 300 jobs, or 0.6 percent, from 54,400 in October 2013. The gains came in trade, transportation and warehousing and state government. 

Also, there were 334 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in October, an increase of 41, or 14 percent, from 293 in September. Most of the increase in claims came in arts, entertainment, and recreation, along with construction. Over the year, claims were down by 216, or 39.3 percent, from 550 filed in October 2013.     

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.4 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 9.3 percent. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for October was 7.7 percent, down from 7.9 percent in September. It was 7.8 percent in October 2013. Georgia added 33,800 new jobs in October and 96,000 since October 2013, pushing its job total to 4,166,400, the largest number since May of 2008.