The greatest job gains in Georgia between April 2008 and April 2009 is in health care and educational services, according to information released today by the Georgia

Department of Labor.

These fields showed a gain of 14,200.

However, a number of areas lost jobs. This includes Dalton, which showed a 9.7 decrease - from 75,300 last year to 68,000 this year.

Other areas with large job losses in the past year included Atlanta (5.1 percent), Gainesville (5 percent) and Macon (4.4 Percent).

Statewide, the number of payroll jobs in April decreased 197,100, or 4.8 percent, from April 2008. Losses came in manufacturing, professional and business services (including temporary employment agencies), trade, transportation, warehousing and the construction industry.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 9.3 percent in April, up slightly from a revised 9.2 percent in March and February.

“The state unemployment rate has remained virtually unchanged during the past three months,” said State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, “and, during the same period, the number of Georgians filing initial unemployment insurance claims has shown smaller increases than in previous months. This suggests that Georgia’s labor market may be beginning to stabilize. However, the verdict is still out.”

The April jobless rate was up 3.5 percentage points from 5.8 percent at this same time last year. Georgia’s unemployment rate remained above the national rate of 8.9 percent for the 18th consecutive month.

Some 446,560 unemployed Georgians are looking for work, an increase of 60 percent from April 2008. Of those, about 38 percent are receiving unemployment insurance benefits.