Middle Georgia’s Unemployment Rate Declines to 6%

Staff Report From Middle Georgia CEO

Thursday, April 21st, 2016

The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the unemployment rate in the Middle Georgia region in March was 6 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from 6.1 percent in February. The rate in March 2015 was 6.4 percent.

The rate declined as the number of employed residents increased by 1,928 to 202,081.

At the same time, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance increased by 121, or 11.4 percent, to 1,179 in March. Most of the increase came in manufacturing. However, over the year, claims were down by 242, or 17 percent, from 1,421 in March 2015. 

Also, Middle Georgia’s labor force increased by 1,855 to 215,043.     

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.5 percent, while the River Valley region had the highest at 6.9 percent.  

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for March was 5.5 percent, up from 5.4 percent in February. It was 6.2 percent in March 2015. 

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said job seekers and employers should use the GDOL’s online job listing service, www.employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employees.  In March, 2,852 jobs in the Middle Georgia region were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 78,986 jobs were posted. 

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.georgia.gov