Metro Atlanta Unemployment Rate Falls in April

ATLANTA, GA – The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate for April was 4.8 percent, down four-tenths of a percentage point from 5.2 percent in March. The rate in April 2015 was 5.4 percent.

The rate declined as employers created more jobs and laid off fewer workers.

The number of jobs increased by 21,500, or 0.8 percent, to 2,646,700 in April. Most of the increase came in leisure and hospitality, 8,000; professional and business services, 7,300; trade, transportation and warehousing, 2,100; information services, 1,900; construction, 1,300; and manufacturing, 1,200.

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Over the year, Atlanta gained 83,300 jobs, a 3.3 percent growth rate, up from 2,563,400 in April 2015. Most of the job gains came in professional and business services, 20,900; trade, transportation and warehousing, 19,600; leisure and hospitality, 14,300; education and health services, construction, 7,100; manufacturing, 6,500; and government, 4,200.

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined by 455, or 3.5 percent, to 12,580 in April. Most of the decrease came in construction and retail trade. And, over the year, claims were down by 1,623, or 11.4 percent, from 14,203 in April 2015.

Also, Atlanta’s labor force decreased by 5,367 to 2,877,964.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for April was 5.5 percent, unchanged from March. It was 6.1 percent in April 2015.