Jobless Rates Decline Again in Walton, Gwinnett

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The unemployment rate saw another decline in Gwinnett and Walton counties in April, according to statistics released Thursday by the Georgia Department of Labor.

Gwinnett’s jobless rate fell to 5.1 percent last month, a two-tenths decline from March. The rate was 5.7 percent in April 2014.

In Walton, the rate fell to 5.3 percent, down from 5.6 in March. Walton’s rate was 6.1 in April 2014.

Declines also were seen in the three Gwinnett cities tracked by the state:

• Peachtree Corners’ April rate of 2.9 percent was the second lowest in the state (behind Brookhaven) for cities with populations over 25,000. The rate in Peachtree Corners was 3.0 in March.
• Lawrenceville’s rate of 6.5 percent was down from 7.0, and 1.3 percentage points lower than last year.
• Duluth’s jobless rate fell to 5.8, down from 5.9 in March.

Metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate also fell significantly — from 5.9 in March to 5.6 in April. That’s the lowest metro rate since May 2008, the labor department said.

The agency said the rate declined as employers added jobs and laid off fewer workers.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.7 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha and the River Valley regions had the highest at 7.3 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for April was 6.3 percent, unchanged from March. It was 7.3 percent in April 2014.

Note: Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.gdol.ga.gov