Ga. loses nearly 30,000 jobs

ATLANTA - Georgia lost 27,000 jobs in the past 12 months.

Gainesville was among the metro areas recording some of the biggest losses... 600 jobs (a .8% decline). Athens, meanwhile, added 500 jobs during the period (a .6% increase). Brunswick led the way in job losses between August 2009 and August 2010... losing 1,000 jobs (a decline of 2.4%).

The number of payroll jobs increased 17,800, or five-tenths of a percentage point, from 3,802,500 in July to 3,820,300 in August. Still, the number of jobs remains less than in August 2009, when there were 3,847,000 payroll jobs.

Meanwhile, the state's jobless rate rose for the first time in eight months. (See separate story)