ATLANTA - The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance in April in Georgia hit the lowest level since June 2000, with Gainesville among the places leading the way.
State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said there were 2,157 initial claims for unemployment insurance in April, a 7.2 percent decrease from March and a 17.3 percent decrease since April 2014.
Butler said a quarter of the claims filed in April were temporary. The decline came as employers laid off fewer workers, primarily in textile manufacturing, food processing and construction. Overall, claims were down to 27,739 from 29,896 in March.
Of the 14 metropolitan areas in Georgia, only Macon (5.1 percent), Athens (22.3 percent) and Rome (56.5 percent) showed increases in applications.
Albany led the state in fewer claims (55.2 percent), followed by Gainesville (45.3 percent) and Valdosta (31.4 percent). The number of claims filed in Atlanta was down 8.6 percent).
