ATLANTA — Jobless rates in metro Savannah and along the state’s coast dropped slightly in August, according to the state Department of Labor.

The preliminary unemployment rates from both metro Savannah and Coastal Georgia declined to 8.6 percent, down five-tenths of a percentage point from 9.1 percent in July. In August 2011, the rate was 9.5 percent for metro Savannah and 9.6 percent for Coastal Georgia.

The drops are attributed to 899 fewer unemployed people in the metro Savannah area and 106 fewer layoffs in manufacturing, construction and health care and social assistance.

Additionally, the labor force in Coastal Georgia declined by 1,046, partially because some students left summer jobs to return to school, according to the labor department.

Metro Athens continued to have the lowest area jobless rate at 6.7 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha Regional Commission had the highest at 12.2 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 9.2 percent in August, unchanged from July. The jobless rate was 9.9 percent in August a year ago.

The number of jobs in the state rose by 25,100, or six-tenths of a percentage point, from 3,914,100 in July to 3,939,200 in August. Georgia has created 49,700 jobs since August 2011 when there were 3,889,500 jobs.

In metro Savannah, jobs increased to 154,300 in August, up by 2,400 from July, and up by 3,800 from 150,500 in August 2011.
Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted.

Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.state.ga.us.