ATLANTA — Metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate fell in August as the area continued to see gains in the job market, according to new numbers from the Georgia Department of Labor.

The metro area’s unemployment rate was 3.4% in August, down from 3.6% a year earlier. The rate is also seven-tenths of a percentage point below the national rate.

Metro Atlanta had the seventh-lowest unemployment rate among Georgia metro areas. Gainesville had the lowest at 2.8%.

Healthcare and social assistance saw the largest job gains in metro Atlanta over the past year, adding nearly 12,000 jobs. Professional and technical services saw the largest decline, followed by federal government jobs.

Over the past month, local and state government jobs increased by a combined 11,000. Arts, entertainment and recreation saw the largest decline, losing nearly 3,000 jobs.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Barbara Rivera Holmes said, “Georgia’s economy continues to deliver.”

Meanwhile, Gov. Brian Kemp is participating in his final Governor’s Workforce Summit at the Georgia World Congress Center. The event brings together leaders from across the state for a conversation about strategies to connect Georgians with good jobs.

WSB Radio’s Ashley Simmons & Judd Hickinbotham contributed to this story.