Gainesville and Hall County’s economic diversity has helped it weather the recent recession, and boosted job growth in the area, according to officials.= The state Department of Labor reported Thursday that metro Gainesville led the state with job gains during the past year, adding 3,200 since September 2011 — an increase of 4.3 percent. Kit Dunlap, president/CEO of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, said the growth has come from some positive signs in manufacturing. “We deal with a lot of manufacturing, and existing industry has hired some and the new industry has come in,” Dunlap said.