Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the Middle Georgia region posted an excellent March as many critical job measures trended in the right direction.
 
Butler noted employed residents increased in March. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell and claims were down.
 
“It’s good to see such a strong report in March,” Butler said. “So many of our local communities are trending in the right direction in terms of job creation and hiring. And, we are even seeing records in many places.”
 
In March, the number of employed residents in the Middle Georgia region area climbed to 213,790. That total ranked 7th among the 12 regional commissions in Georgia.
 
Middle Georgia added 691 employed residents for the month and 4,534 over the past year. Only four regions added more than 1,000 employed residents for the month.
 
The Middle Georgia labor force ended March at 223,750. That number is down 96 over the month and up 3,040 over the past 12 months. Only five regions saw their workforce grow in March.
 
At the same time, the jobless rate fell to 4.5 percent, a drop of .3 percent over the past 30 days. A year ago, the jobless rate was 5.2 percent. There are 12 Regional Commissions in Georgia.  The rates in the 12 areas vary from a low of 3.5 percent in the Georgia Mountains to 5.2 percent in the River Valley region.
 
In the Middle Georgia region, initial claims for unemployment were down about 22 percent for the month and down about 13 percent for the year.
 
The Middle Georgia region includes Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones. Monroe, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, and Wilkinson counties.