ATLANTA—The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that the preliminary unemployment rate in metro Savannah was unchanged at 7.9 percent from September to October. The rate was 8.9 percent in October 2011.

The preliminary unemployment rate in the Coastal Georgia region declined to 8.4 percent in October, down one-tenth of a percentage point from 8.5 percent in September. The rate was 9.4 percent in October 2011.

Effingham County’s preliminary unemployment rate for October was 7.4 percent.

The rate declined because there were 727 more people employed in the Coastal region. There were 290,160 employed people in October, up from 289,433 in September. In one year’s time, employment was up in the area by 10,131 from 280,029 in October 2011.       

Metro Athens continued to have the lowest area jobless rate at 6.2 percent, while metro Dalton had the highest at 11.3 percent. 

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 8.7 percent in October, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 9.0 percent in September. The jobless rate was 9.7 percent in October a year ago.

Statewide, there were 3,971,700 jobs in October, up 36,000, or nine-tenths of a percentage point, from 3,935,700 in September. Over the year, Georgia gained 68,000 jobs, or 1.7 percent, from 3,903,700 in October 2011.