Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Atlanta set another record in October for total jobs.

Meanwhile, the labor force continued to climb for the 29-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA).  All indictors remain positive for year.

“It’s always good to see jobs grow in Georgia and more records set,” Butler said. “This holiday season we have much to be thankful for. The job market has been very robust this year.”

The unemployment rate for October, at 3.4 percent, was up .3 percent over the previous month. A year ago, the rate was 4.2 percent. That rate tied for second lowest among the 14 MSAs.

The labor force in Atlanta surged by 6,859 in October to reach about 3.1 million. That number is up by 40,152 over the past year – an average monthly increase of nearly 3,350.

Atlanta lost 3,457 employed residents in October, trimming the total to about 2.9 million. The number is up 62,119 for the year, or about 5,200 per month.

Jobs grew by 16,500 in October to 2.81 million – a record high. Atlanta’s job total is up 60,800 over the year – an average increase of about 5,000.

Claims for unemployment insurance climbed by 16 percent in October. They were down by 13 percent when compared to the same month a year ago.

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 52,598 active job postings in metro Atlanta for October.

Counties included in the MSA are Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Meriwether, Morgan, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding and Walton.

Visit dol.georgia.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers and to connect with us on social media.