Metro Gainesville’s unemployment rate decreased to 5.9 percent in November, down seven-tenths of a percentage point from 6.6 percent in October, the Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday.

This is the lowest the rate has been since it was also 5.9 percent in September 2008. The rate was 6.8 percent in November a year ago.

Labor Commissioner Mark Butler called the new numbers “very good news.”

The rate declined in November primarily because the number of jobs increased and the number of unemployed people fell.

Employers in metro Gainesville, which includes all of Hall County, added 100 jobs in November, increasing the number of jobs to 76,600, up by 0.1 percent, from 76,500 in October. Most of the jobs were added in retail trade.

Over the year, jobs were up by 800, or 1.1 percent, from 75,800 in November 2012. Most of the jobs were added in the service-related industries, such as retail trade.

The number of unemployed residents dropped by 606. There were 5,319 unemployed residents in November, down from 5,925 in October. There were 6,231 unemployed in November 2012.

“There’s almost 1,000 fewer unemployed people this year than there was this time last year,” Butler said.

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.1 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 10 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November was 7.7 percent, down from 8.1 percent in October. The rate was 8.7 percent in November a year ago.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted.