April 27, 2017

Georgia Mountains’ unemployment rate declines to 4.2 percent in March

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that the unemployment rate in the Georgia Mountains region in March was 4.2 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 4.4 percent in February. In March 2016, the rate was 4.6 percent.

The rate declined because more people became employed as the labor force continued to grow and employers laid off fewer workers.

The number of employed residents increased by 1,877 to 319,699, as the labor force grew by 1,230 to 333,555. The labor force consists of employed residents and those who are unemployed, but actively looking for jobs.

The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance, a measure of new layoffs, declined by 161, or 11.8 percent, to 1,199. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 446, or 27.1 percent, from 1,645 in March 2016.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4 percent, while the River Valley region had the highest at 6.1 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for March was 5.1 percent, down from 5.3 percent in February. It was 5.5 percent in March 2016.

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use GDOL’s online job listing service employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees. In March, 2,900 new job openings in the Georgia Mountains region were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 85,055 new job openings were posted.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available atdol.georgia.gov

Visit dol.georgia.gov to learn more about career opportunities, Employ Georgia and other GDOL services for job seekers and employers and to connect with us on social media.