ATLANTA — Metro Savannah’s unemployment rate decreased to 7.8 percent in August, down eight-tenths of a percentage point from 8.6 percent in July, the state labor department announced Thursday.
The rate was also 8.6 percent in August a year ago.
The rate dropped because of a significant reduction in layoffs. There were 1,195 new layoffs, represented by initial claims for unemployment insurance, which are 223, or 15.7 percent, fewer than the 1,418 in July.
Much of the decline came in transportation and warehousing, construction, administrative and support services, and accommodations and food services.
Over-the-year, the number of initial claims was down by 386, or 24.4 percent, from 1,581 in August 2012. Reductions were mostly in manufacturing and construction, trade, transportation and warehousing, health care and social assistance, accommodations and food services, and administrative and support services.
The labor force, which is the number of people employed plus those unemployed but actively looking for work, declined by 3,189 to 178,576 in August, down from 181,765 in July. And, it was also down by 3,377 from 181,953 in August 2012.
Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 6.1 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 11.9 percent.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August was 8.7 percent, down from 8.8 percent in July. The rate was 9.0 percent in August a year ago.
Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.state.ga.us.