Valdosta, GA - Georgia labor officials say the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 8.7% in October, down from 9% in September.
That compares to a jobless rate of 9.7% a year ago. The new figures were announced early Thursday by the Georgia Department of Labor.
Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler says the jobless rate declined because the state saw an increase of 36,000 new jobs.
Butler said that is the largest September-to-October job increase ever. He said the job growth pushed the number of jobs in October to the highest level in any month since December 2008.
The national unemployment rate is only 7.9%.
