ATLANTA - First-time claims for unemployment insurance (UI) in Georgia were down 12.3 percent in August, compared to a year ago.<br />
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State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said claims dropped 30-percent from July 2014 to August 2014.<br />
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Butler said Brunswick (down 35.8 percent) led in the decline of applications, followed by Athens (35.3 percent), Hinesville (24.1 percent), and Gainesville (21.7 percent.)<br />
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In Atlanta, claims were down 15.4 percent.<br />
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Among the state's 14 metropolitan areas, only Augusta, Columbus and Dalton showed increases in the number of claims that were filed.<br />
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Butler noted that most of the August decline came in manufacturing, administrative and support services, health care and social assistance, and trade.