Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the Middle Georgia region gained employed residents and lowered its unemployment rate in September.

At the same time, the 11-county area saw its labor force and initial claims dip down.  Most major indicators are remain positive for the year. 

"Our communities across the state continue to thrive,” Butler said. “Local economies continue to add jobs. Indicators like employment continue to grow over time. It has become almost routine for some of our local areas to set records.” 

The September unemployment rate fell to 3.5 percent, down by .6 percent from August. That’s tied for seventh among 12 regions in Georgia. It was 4.9 percent one year ago. 

The labor force fell in September by 848 to reach 219,785 total members. The number has fallen by 1,775 over the past 12 months, or an average loss of about 148 per month.  

The Middle Georgia region gained 356 employed residents in September, pushing its total to 212,012. That number has grown by 1,290 over the past year, or an average monthly gain of about 108.  

Initial claims for unemployment fell by about 4 percent for the month. They are down by about 27 percent when compared to last September. 

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 1,965 active job postings in the Middle Georgia region for September.

The Middle Georgia region includes Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Twiggs and Wilkinson counties.