The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Albany’s unemployment rate for April was 6.9 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 7.1 percent in March. This is the lowest the rate has been since August 2008 when it was 6.8 percent. The rate in April 2014 was 8.0 percent.

The rate declined as the number of unemployed residents decreased to 4,501, down by 209 from 4,710 in March.  

The number of jobs in Albany decreased by 200, or 0.3 percent, in April to 61,400, down from 61,600 in March. Most of the job losses came in state government, along with wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing. Jobs were unchanged over the year.  

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 32, or 5.6 percent, to 601 in April, up from 569 in March. Most of the increase came in construction and accommodations and food services. However, over the year, claims were down by 742, or 55.2 percent, from 1343 filed in April  2014.     

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.7 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha and the River Valley regions had the highest at 7.3 percent. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for April was 6.3 percent, unchanged from March. It was 7.3 percent in April 2014.