» Atlanta adds 8,700 jobs as unemployment rate drops,

Unemployment dips to 4.5% in Atlanta, lower than national average.

Economists say widespread vaccinations and the massive federal pandemic relief package have sparked increased hiring in Georgia, where the unemployment rate dipped below the national average once again in February.

As Atlanta added 8,700 jobs, the unemployment rate in February dropped to 4.5% from 5.1% in January.

That was below the national average of 6.2%.

“The state is getting back to where it was prior to the pandemic,” said Mark Butler, Georgia’s labor commissioner. “We are seeing the momentum start to switch in our favor.”

Still, there’s a long way to go: Metro Atlanta in February had about 161,600 fewer jobs than a year earlier.

In Georgia, the state labor department last week processed 39,281 new jobless claims, roughly 14,000 more than the week before and seven times higher than the prepandemic average. As has been the case since the pandemic’s start, the lion’s share of claims were from people working in food and accommodation.

Since the start of the pandemic, the department has processed nearly 4.6 million initial claims. More than 400,000 Georgians are currently receiving benefits.

Nationally, “the labor market remains strained,” wrote Sarah House, Wells Fargo senior economist, via email. “But the economy is gearing up for growth: We look for a substantial rebound in hiring over the next few months.”

Signs are upbeat. Around the country, new filings for unemployment benefits last week were below 1 million for the second consecutive week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

When the department releases its jobs report for March today, it will likely show the addition of about 675,000 jobs, said House.

Georgia’s online job site has more than 228,000 listings, according to the state Department of Labor. And there have been several recent announcements of hiring.

Feit Electric last week said it is opening a distribution center in Mcdonough and will be hiring 120 people. Allied Universal is hiring more than 50 security guards in Lagrange.

And, in Fairburn, Porex, which makes porous plastics, has gone to round-the-clock shifts and is hiring about 20 people, including technicians, inspectors and mechanics, according to a spokeswoman. The company, which will hold in-person interviews Tuesday afternoons, has raised its starting wage to $18.37 an hour to attract workers.