In July,

1998, the county's rate stood at 2.6 percent. The

county's rate drop mirrors the rest of the metro area.

State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said that metro

Atlanta's 3.3 percent rate this July was the lowest ever

recorded for that month.

"In

the Atlanta area, as in other parts of the state, jobs

are available for people with training and skills.

However, there are far too many people who don't have the

education and training necessary to fill many of the jobs

that are available," Thurmond said.

The state's

4.1 percent unemployment rate in July was the lowest

recorded for that month in 28 years.

Fayette

County's unemployment rate was the second lowest in the

metro area. Forsyth County, with a 2.0 percent

unemployment rate had the lowest rate in the region.