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Hall Countys jobless rate dips to 9 percent
State figures shows decline in unemployed workers, payroll jobs in December
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Some good news on the economic front: The area's jobless rate fell in December.

The Georgia Department of Labor reported today that the preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate in the metro Gainesville area decreased to 9 percent in December, down three-tenths of a percentage point from a revised 9.3 percent in November.

Meanwhile, the number of unemployed workers in the area decreased to 7,864, down 277 from 8,141. The jobless rate in the metro Gainesville area, which includes all of Hall County, was 9.1 percent in December 2009. The number of payroll jobs in the area decreased by 100 from 71,100 in November.

The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent in December, up two-tenths of a percentage point from a revised 10 percent in November. The rate was 10.3 percent in December 2009.

Statewide, the number of payroll jobs decreased 21,800, or six-tenths of a percentage point, to 3,827,200 from 3,849,000 in November. Most of the decreases came in construction, leisure and hospitality, the public schools, professional and business services, and wholesale trade. The number of jobs remains 7,800, or two-tenths of a percentage point, fewer than in December 2009, when there were 3,835,000 payroll jobs.

Also in December, 1,385 laid-off workers in metro Gainesville filed initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits, an increase of just two people from November. Statewide, 75,635 laid-off workers filed initial claims for benefits, an increase of 11.7 percent.

Yet there was an over-the-year decrease of 25,261 initial claims, or 25 percent, from 100,896 filed in December 2009. Most of the first-time claims were filed in manufacturing, trade, construction, and administrative and support services.

In the Georgia Mountains region, the jobless rate fell to 9.2 percent in December, down from a revised 9.3 percent in November. The number of unemployed workers in the area decreased to 27,043, down 93 from the previous month.

Local area unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at its website.