ATLANTA—Metro Savannah’s unemployment rate for November was 6.1 percent, down six-tenths of a percentage point from 6.7 percent in October, the Georgia Department of Labor announced. The rate in November of last year was also 6.7 percent.

The rate fell as new jobs were added and new layoffs, as measured by initial unemployment insurance (UI) claims, dropped.

Metro Savannah added 1,000 new jobs in November, pushing the total to 167,600, up 0.6 percent, from 166,600 in October. Most of the job growth came in trade, transportation and warehousing, job sectors associated with holiday hiring, leisure and hospitality, financial services, federal and local government, and manufacturing.

And, there was an over-the-year gain of 4,200 jobs, or 2.6 percent, from 163,400 in November 2013. Most of the job growth came in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and trade, transportation and warehousing, along with mining, logging and construction and local government.

Also, there were 847 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in November, a decrease of 86, or 9.2 percent, from 933 in October. Most of the decrease in claims came in manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade. Over the year, claims were down by 310, or 26.8 percent, from 1,157 filed in November 2013.

The unemployment rate in the Coastal Georgia region was 6.6 percent in November, down five-tenths of a percentage point from 7.1 percent in October. The rate in November of last year was 7.3 percent.

The rate fell as new layoffs, measured by initial unemployment insurance claims, dropped to 1,426, a decrease of 151, or 9.6 percent, from 1,577 in October. Most of the decrease in claims came in manufacturing and construction, health care and social assistance, and administrative and support services.

Over the year, claims were down by 510, or 26.3 percent, from 1,936 filed in November 2013. Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.0 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 9.0 percent. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for November was 7.2 percent, down from a revised 7.6 percent in October. The decrease was the largest over-the-month drop on record and large enough to move Georgia’s jobless rate out of last place among all states. 

Georgia continues to be a national leader in job growth, adding 23,400 new jobs in November and 98,800 since November 2013. This pushed the job total to 4,192,600, the largest number since 4,202,100 in December 2007.  Georgia ranks fifth among states in job creation.