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ALBANY, GA --
The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dipped to 8.6 percent in February, the lowest rate since January 2009.

The rate fell one-tenth of a percentage point from 8.7 percent in January and six-tenths of a percentage point from 9.2 percent in February a year ago according to GDOL..

“The unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in more than four years, and I give the credit to Georgia employers who continue to create jobs and lay off fewer workers,” said State Labor Commission Mark Butler. “In fact, there were fewer workers laid-off and filing first-time claims for unemployment insurance in February than since before the beginning for the Great Recession in 2007.”

GDOL officials they there was an increase of 19,300 jobs from January to February with most of the growth in professional and business services, education and health care, and information services.

Over-the-year job growth was also strong according to officials as Georgia added 77,400 jobs compared to the same period in February 2012.  

Officials add that first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits decreased from the previous month to 38,696 in February, the lowest for any month since September 2007. The number of long-term unemployed workers declined for the 10th consecutive month as it fell 3,700 to 187,600 in February, its lowest level since January 2010.