The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Warner Robins’ unemployment rate for October was 6.9 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 7.1 percent in September. The rate in October of last year was also 7.1 percent. 

The rate fell as Metro Warner Robins added 500 jobs in October. The total number of jobs increased to 58,800, up from 58,300, or 0.9 percent, from September. Much of the job gain came in state government, including the public schools, retail trade, which is associated with holiday hiring, and the goods-producing sector, which includes manufacturing and construction.  

However, there was an over-the-year loss of 100 jobs, or 0.2 percent, from 58,900 in October 2013. The losses came mostly with the federal government.  

Also, there were 507 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in October, an increase of 113, or 28.7 percent, from 394 in September. Most of the increase in claims came in manufacturing and retail trade. Over the year, claims were down by 110, or 17.8 percent, from 617 filed in October 2013.     

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.4 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 9.3 percent. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for October was 7.7 percent, down from 7.9 percent in September. It was 7.8 percent in October 2013. Georgia added 33,800 new jobs in October and 96,000 since October 2013, pushing its job total to 4,166,400, the largest number since May of 2008.