Labor Commissioner Mark Butler (left) attended a jobs fair in Gainesville earlier this year.
ATLANTA - First-time claims for unemployment insurance (UI) in Georgia were down 11.9 percent in September, compared to a year ago.<br />
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State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Rome (down 62 percent), Valdosta (down 33.3 percent), and Savannah (28.4 percent) led in the decline of applications.<br />
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Claims were also down in Athens and Atlanta but were up 1.9 percent in Gainesville.<br />
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In addition to Gainesville, the number of applications were also up in Dalton, Warner Robins and Augusta. It was the second straight month of increases in Dalton and Augusta.<br />
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Butler said most of the September decline came in retail trade, administrative and educational services, and manufacturing.