Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Gainesville set a record in April for total jobs.

Gainesville, preliminary numbers showed, posted monthly gains in jobs and employed residents. Meanwhile, the number of monthly unemployment claims decreased, and the unemployment rate dropped for the one-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA).   

“Georgia’s economy continues to be strong,” Butler said, “In April we saw several communities set records for jobs and others set records for lowest unemployment rate. Typically, we see gains through the summer as well.”

Gainesville ended April with 95,700 jobs. That’s an increase of about 4,700 from the job total as of a year ago and it’s up 800 from last month’s total.

Gainesville also posted gains for jobs in private services.

The unemployment rate fell in April, dropping by 0.5 percentage points to settle at 2.5 percent. A year ago, the rate was 2.9 percent.

Nationally, the rate for April dropped to 3.6 percent.

The labor force decreased in April by 476 to reach 102,962. That number is up by 2,108 from the total of April 2018.

Gainesville ended April with 100,348 employed residents.  The number climbed by 15 in April and was up by 2,468 over April 2018’s total.

The number of unemployment claims fell in April by 18 percent. Claims were up by 19 percent from the same period last year.    

Claims were down in manufacturing. 

The one-county MSA includes Hall County.