Atlanta’s Unemployment Rate Drops in August

Job seekers in metro Atlanta are having a little more luck finding work.

The area's jobless rate was 8.0% in August, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.

“A lot of that is attributed to the fact that the Atlanta area gained 2,800 jobs last month and also layoffs were down,” says Commissioner Mark Butler.

Atlanta gained about 5,700 jobs over the past 12 months, according to Butler.

Construction is one of the sectors that's been rebounding.

“If you look over the year, there's been over 8,000 jobs that have increased in the construction industry, which, by the way, is the largest increase in that span since 1999,” says Butler.An audio version of this story.

Other fields are also open for those looking for a place to pick up a paycheck.

“We're seeing a number of specific professional sectors within IT, accounting, administration, H-R, where that number is half of the overall unemployment number,” says Andy Decker, with the Robert Half International staffing agency.

Athens has the lowest unemployment rate in Georgia.

The Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region tops the list.