Unemployment in Floyd County was down in November from an adjusted 10.8 percent in October to a preliminary 10.6 percent figure for November.

November 2008’s rate was 7.4 percent.

Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce President Al Hodge said that some of the decline could be credited to manufacturers who are getting back to regular schedules.

The number of unemployed workers in Floyd County dropped from 5,310 in October to 5,180 in November. One year ago, in November of 2008, the Department of Labor reported 3,617 jobless workers in Floyd County.

“Manufacturers are hiring back to regular schedules that they were on prior to the recession,” said Hodge.

Twelve of the 15 counties in Northwest Georgia either held steady or reported a decline in unemployment in November. Only Catoosa, Haralson and Walker counties reported increases.

Bartow County’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 12.7 percent, Chattooga County experienced a significant drop from 13.3 to 11.8 percent, Gordon County was down from 13.5 to 13.1 percent and Polk County was unchanged at 10.6 percent.

State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond will host a major jobs summit at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center on Jan. 18.

Thurmond has summoned a bipartisan group of educators, economic developers and state officials to try to devise a statewide strategy to jump start economic growth and job creation in 2010.

On Wednesday Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told ABC News that he expects hiring to really take off. Hodge agreed with that assessment saying, “That tracks well with what some of our manufacturers and others are telling us.”

Hodge said Rome’s large number of health and education jobs coupled with a diversified manufacturing sector are poised to lead economic recovery efforts in 2010.