Newton County’s unemployment rate dropped infinitesimally in August, down from 7.1 percent in July to 6.7 percent. The slight decline mirrors metro Atlanta’s figures, according to the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL).

Metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate for August was 5.7 percent, down from 7.3 percent for the same month last year. In a late September press release, GDOL said new job creation had increased in August, while layoffs, as measured by initial unemployment claims, decreased.

In Newton County, the number of people in the labor force also decreased in August, down from 48,445 with 45,022 employed in July to 48,003 and 44,787 in August. The number of employed in the county is 3,216, down from 4,126 last August.

Last year at this time, 8.6 percent of the county’s work force was unemployed.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.gdol.ga.gov.