The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that Metro Columbus’ unemployment rate in February was 6.5 percent, down five-tenths of a percentage point from 7 percent in January. In February 2016, the rate was 6.6 percent.

The rate declined as more people went to work, employers laid off fewer workers and the labor force grew.

The number of employed residents increased by 654 to 116,702, as the labor force grew by 40 to 124,806. The labor force consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed, but actively looking for jobs.

While the number of jobs remained unchanged at 120,400 from January to February, over the year, 100 jobs were added, a 0.1 percent growth rate, up from 120,300 in February 2016. The job growth came in finance and insurance.

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, declined by 973, or 52.7 percent, to 872. Most of the decrease came in accommodations and food services and manufacturing and construction. Over the year, claims were up by 83, or 10.5 percent, from 789 in February 2016.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.1 percent, while the River Valley region had the highest at 6.8 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for February was 5.3 percent, down from 5.5 percent in January. It was also 5.5 percent in February 2016.

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employers. In February, 2,157 new job openings in Columbus were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 65,461 new job openings were posted.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally-adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at dol.georgia.gov