Jobless rates for the Metro Savannah and Coastal Georgia areas each dropped five-tenths of a percentage point in March, according to the state Department of Labor.
Metro Savannah’s unemployment rate decreased to 6.2 percent in April from 6.7 percent in March. The rate was 7.1 percent in April a year ago.
According to the labor department, the rate declined because Metro Savannah employers created more jobs and laid off fewer workers.  
The number of jobs increased to 164,900 in April, up by 1,900, or 1.2 percent, from 163,000 in March. Most of the job gains came in leisure and hospitality, trade, transportation, and warehousing, professional and business services, and other service-related industries.
Over the year, the number of jobs increased by 3,200, or 2.0 percent, from 161,700 jobs in April 2013. The big job gainers were the same as those over the month.
Also, there were 906 new claims for unemployment insurance filed in April, a drop of 355, or 28.2 percent, from 1,261 in March. Most of the decline in claims came in transportation and warehousing. There were 1,878 claims filed in April 2013.
In in the Coastal Georgia region, the unemployment rate decreased to 6.7 percent in April from 7.2 percent in March. The rate was 7.8 percent in April a year ago.
The labor department said the rate declined because 1,074 more people were employed in April than in March while employers also laid off fewer workers.
There were 1,562 new layoffs, represented by initial claims for unemployment insurance in April — a drop 361, or 18.8 percent, from 1,923 in March. Most of the decline in claims came in transportation and warehousing. There were 3,349 claims filed in April 2013.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 7.0 percent, unchanged from March. The rate was 8.3 percent in April a year ago.