Ga. jobless rate climbs to 9.3 percent

ATLANTA - The state Labor Department says Georgia's unemployment rate in February was 9.3 percent, the highest since rate-keeping was standardized by the federal government in 1976. Meanwhile, metro Gainesville lost 2,700 between February 2008 and last month.

The department said Thursday that the previous record unemployment rate in Georgia was 8.5 percent in January.

The February jobless rate was up 3.9 percent from 5.4 percent at this same time last year. Georgia's unemployment rate remained above the national rate of 8.1 percent for the 16th consecutive month.

The department says 445,498 unemployed Georgians are now looking for work, an increase of 69.2 percent over the year.

It says the number of payroll jobs in February decreased 189,800, or 4.6 percent, from February 2008. Dalton led the way with a 7.9 percent loss (6,000 jobs), followed by Atlanta, 4.6 percent (111,300); Warner Robins, 3.8 percent (2,200); Gainesville, 3.4 percent (2,700); and Valdosta, 3.3 percent, (1,900 job losses) to round out the top five.

Athens was last among the state's eleven metro areas with a net loss of 700 jobs or .8 percent.

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