ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor announced the unemployment rate in the Southwest Georgia region decreased to 7.5 percent in April, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 7.8 percent in March. The rate was 8.3 percent in April a year ago.
The Decatur County rate specifically decreased as well. Decatur County’s unemployment rate was 9.1 in April, down from 9.6 in March. The rate for April 2013 in the county was 10.4, showing a 1.3 decrease.
The rate declined in the region because the number of unemployed residents decreased to 11,655, down by 535 from 12,196 in March. There were 13,064 unemployed residents in Southwest Georgia in April 2013.
There were 2,928 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in April, an increase of 1,797, or 158.9 percent, from 1,131 in March. Most of the increase in claims came in poultry processing. There were 2,076 claims filed in April 2013.
Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.9 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 8.8 percent.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 7.0 percent, unchanged from March. The rate was 8.3 percent in April a year ago.