With Gainesville leading the way, eight of the 14 metropolitan areas in the state reported a decreased in first-time claims for unemployment insurance in March, compared to February.
The state Labor Department says, however, that statewide, applications were up 2.9 percent. Labor Commissioiner Mark Butler says most of the increase was due to temporary claims filed in manufacturing.
The decline in Gainesville was 26.4 percent, followed by 25.4 percent in Albany and 18.2 percent in Warner Robins. Athens, meanwhile, reported an increase of 10.5 percent and applications were down in Atlanta by 1.1 percent.
Click here for data on each county, metropolitan area and regional commission in the state.
