County's Unemployment Rate Drops Slightly

Barrow County's unemployment rate dropped slightly from January to February, according to information released by the state labor commissioner.

The county's unemployment rate was at 10.9 percent in the first month of 2011 and decreased to 10.2 for February.

Jackson County’s unemployment rate also decreased slightly from 10.8 percent to 10.6 percent, along with Clarke (7.8 to 7.6 percent), Walton (11.1 to 10.4 percent) and Gwinnett (9.3 to 9.1 percent). Oconee County's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.7 percent.

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate in the metro Atlanta area decreased to 10.2 percent in February, down two-tenths of a percentage point from a revised 10.4 percent in January. The jobless rate in the metro Atlanta area in February 2010 was 10.7 percent.

The February rate decreased, he said, because there were 16,400 new jobs mostly in the service-related industries. construction, and manufacturing.

Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February was also 10.2 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point, from a revised 10.3 percent in January. The state’s jobless rate was also 10.3 percent in February 2010.

February marked the 41st consecutive month that Georgia has exceeded the national unemployment rate, which is currently 8.9 percent.