Between April 2011 and April 2012, the number of new jobs in Gainesville totaled 4,900 - a 6.7 percent increase, tops among all 14 metropolitan areas in Georgia, according to state Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. It is the third straight month, according to Butler, that Gainesville has led the state (percentage-wise) in job gains.
The April-to-April figures, meanwhile, show Athens with the second-best record - a 2.2 percent increase. Dalton and Augusta led in job losses. Statewide, there was a net gain of 21,600 new jobs, a .6 percent increase, between April 2011 and April 2012.
Meanwhile, the number of first-time claims for unemployment insurance in Georgia were down during the same period by 12.6 percent, led by Rome, Athens, and Gainesville. Gainesville showed a decrease of 276 or 29.6 percent. Claims in Athens were down 34.7 percent. Of the 14 metropolitan regions, only Columbus showed an increased, 16.7 percent.
Labor Commissioner Mark Butler
http://accesswdun.com/article/2012/5/248805