State labor officials say Georgia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 10.2 percent in October, down one-tenth of a percentage point from September.

The Georgia Department of Labor said in a statement Thursday that the state added 26,500 jobs.

Labor officials attribute some of the job gains to the approaching holiday season. They said more than 12,000 of the jobs added were from early hiring in retail, transportation and warehousing, as employers prepared for the holiday season.

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said that historically, officials don't typically see a spike in retail hiring during October so the latest numbers are a positive sign.

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