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ALBANY, GA --
The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday via press release that Georgia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to nine percent in September, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 9.2 percent in August while the September 2011 jobless rate was 9.8 percent.

"The unemployment rate dropped in September because Georgia had the fewest new claims for unemployment insurance benefits in five years, since before the start of the Great Recession," said State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler in the release.

GDOL said the number of initial claims in September declined to 39,564, down by 6,161 from 45,725 in August-the fewest since 32,139 were filed in September 2007 and added that most of the decline came in administrative and support services, retail trade, health care and social assistance, educational services, and accommodations and food services.