ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate declined to 7.6 percent in April, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 7.9 percent in March. The rate was 8.5 percent in April a year ago.

The rate declined as the number of jobs in metro Atlanta increased by 12,900 to 2,394,100, up from 2,381,200 in March. Most of the growth was in professional and business services, 5,900; trade and transportation, 3,700; leisure and hospitality, 2,700; education and health services, 2,400; and construction, 1,400.

Over-the-year, metro Atlanta added 48,200 jobs, or 2.1 percent, from 2,345,900 in March 2012. Most of the growth was in professional and business services, 20,500; trade and transportation, 10,200; education and health services, 8,700; leisure and hospitality, 6,100; information services, 5,100; and construction, 3,100. The number of government jobs declined by 5,800.

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 5.6 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 10.3 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 8.2 percent, down from 8.4 percent in March. The rate was 9.1 percent in April a year ago.