The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that the unemployment rate in the Middle Georgia region in February was 5.6 percent, down six-tenths of a percentage point from 6.2 percent in January. In February 2016, the rate was 5.8 percent.

The rate declined as more people went to work, the labor force fell and employers laid off fewer workers.

The number of employed residents increased by 1,221 to 206,183, as the labor force fell by 192 to 218,304. 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 1,295, or 59.5 percent, to 882. Most of the decrease came in manufacturing and construction, trade, transportation and warehousing, and administrative and support services, along with health care and social assistance and accommodations and food services. Over the year, claims were down by 176, or 16.6 percent, from 1,058 in February 2016.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.1 percent, while the River Valley region had the highest at 6.8 percent.

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

Job seekers and employers are encouraged to use the GDOL’s online job listing service employgeorgia.com to search for jobs or recruit new employers. In February, 2,068 new job openings in the Middle Georgia region were posted on Employ Georgia. Throughout the state, 65,461 new job openings were posted.

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