ATLANTA — While the jobless rate for Coastal Georgia went unchanged in April, unemployment number is metro Savannah increased slightly, according to State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler.

The preliminary unemployment rate in metro Savannah rose to 8.4 percent in April, up 0.1 percent from 8.3 percent in March.  The rate also was 8.4 percent in April 2011.  

The rate increased because there were 359 new layoffs in April. They came in transportation and warehousing, administrative and support services, accommodations and food services, health care and social assistance, retail trade, finance and insurance and manufacturing.

The rate in the Coastal Georgia area was unchanged at 8.8 percent from March to April. The jobless rate in the Coastal area in April a year ago also was 8.8 percent Metro Athens had the state’s lowest area rate at 6.5 percent, while metro Dalton had the highest at 11.4 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined for the ninth consecutive month in April to 8.9 percent, the first time in more than three years the rate has dropped below 9 percent. The rate fell 0.1 percent from 9.0 percent in March. The jobless rate was 9.8 percent in April a year ago.

Statewide, the rate declined as the number of new jobs grew by 31,900 to 3,926,000, the highest number of jobs in Georgia since January 2009. Job growth is up 0.8 percent from 3,894,100 in March. In April a year ago, there were 3,904,400 jobs.

The industries showing growth were: trade and transportation, 9,200; leisure and hospitality, 9,200; professional and business services, 5,900; construction, 3,400; and education and health care, 2,700. While the state gained jobs overall, state and local governments shed 3,300 jobs.

Local area unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.state.ga.us.