Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Macon added to its labor force in December.

At the same time, the unemployment rate increased. Macon  maintained annual growth in most critical measures across the seven-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA).    

“Georgia had a very good year economically speaking in 2018,” Butler said. “As I look back over the year, our state added to its workforce, employed more residents and increased jobs. Many of our local communities set records.”

The unemployment rate for December, at 4.1 percent, was up 0.2 percent over the previous month. A year ago, the rate was 4.7 percent. That rate was 10th lowest among the 14 MSAs. The rate increased in 13 of the 14 MSAs. 

The labor force in Macon  climbed by 145 in December to reach 105,738. That number is down by 120 over the past year – an average monthly decrease of about 10.

Macon lost 118 employed residents in December, pushing the total to  101,395. The number is up 531 for the year, or about 44 per month. 

Jobs stayed flat in December at 104,900. The job total in Macon is up 1,200 over the year – an average increase of 100 per month. 

Claims for unemployment insurance decreased by 33 percent in December. They were down by 23 percent when compared to the same month a year ago. 

Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing service at employgeorgia.com showed 1,517 active job postings in metro Macon  for December.