ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the unemployment rate in the Southern Georgia region in October was 5.4 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 5.6 percent in September. The rate in October 2015 was 5.9 percent.

As the rate declined, the number of employed residents increased by 1,581 to 165,794, while the number of unemployed decreased by 275 to 9,443. The labor force, which consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed but actively looking for jobs, rose by 1,306 to 175,237.

Initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, rose by 143, or 17.7 percent, to 950 in October. Most of the increase came in manufacturing and accommodations and food services. Over the year, claims were down by 85, or 8.2 percent, from 1,035 in October 2015.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.4 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 7 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for October was 5.2 percent, up from 5.1 percent in September. It was 5.5 percent in October 2015.

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service, www.employgeorgia.comto search for jobs or recruit new employers. In October, 1,321 new job openings in the Southern Georgia region were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 70,200 new job openings were posted.