MOULTRIE — The unemployment rate in Colquitt and surrounding counties increased slightly or held even in April, with the exception of Brooks County, which saw an improvement of 0.5 percentage points, according to figures released Thursday by the Georgia Department of Labor.

In Colquitt County, the unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points in April to 8.2 percent from an adjusted 8 percent in March. The unemployment rate in April 2008 was 4.7 percent.

The Labor Department said that 873 Colquitt County residents were out of work in April, up from 651 jobless a year ago.

“I think we’ve been stable, probably because of the ag economy and food-related industry,” said Darrell Moore, president of the Moultrie-Colquitt Development Authority. “That’s helped out a lot.”

Moore said that the development authority is focusing on supporting existing industry in an effort to limit layoffs.

While the near future for the national economy is uncertain, Moore said there is confidence locally.

“We’re doing industry interviews right now, and they’re all pretty upbeat,” he said. “We’ve had higher unemployment than this in the late ‘90s, 1998, 1999, 2000. Again I feel fortunate we’re where we’re at. I don’t think we’ve been a lot worse than anybody else over the last few months.”

In Grady County, the unemployment rate dropped from 8.7 percent in March to 8.5 percent in April, while Thomas County remained unchanged at 7.9 percent, and Mitchell County’s increased by 0.1 percentage points to 8.5 percent.

Brooks County recorded a significant improvement, with the unemployment rate dropping from 7.5 percent to 7 percent.

Cook and Worth counties both reported a 0.3 increase, putting Worth County in double-digits at 10 percent and bringing Cook to 12.2 percent.

Among nearby metro areas, Albany experienced an increase of 0.4 percentage points, from 8.1 percent to 8.5 percent, while Valdosta remained unchanged at 7.3 percent.